Cabinet welcomes GCC-US Summit results, strategic implications

His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has extended deepest congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and to the Bahraini, Arab and Islamic peoples on the holy month of Ramadan.

HRH Premier wished Bahrain glory, dignity and security, under HM the King’s leadership, and the Arab and Islamic Nations further progress and prosperity.
The Prime Minister called for taking advantage of the virtues of the holy month and the associated atmosphere of faith to spread the spirit of tolerance and instill positive habits that strengthen social cohesion and cement national unity.

HRH Premier made the statements while chairing the regular weekly Cabinet session, at the Gudaibiya Palace today.

Source: Fana News

The session lauded HM King Hamad’s participation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Consultative Summit, the GCC-US Summit and the Arab-Islamic-American Summit, all hosted by Saudi Arabia.

According to a statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser, the session praised the importance of the topics embedded in HM the King’s speeches to the GCC-US and Arab-Islamic-American summits, citing the royal in-depth diagnosis of the challenges facing the region and ways to overcome them through strategic and constructive international cooperation.

The session lauded the role played by HM King Hamad in strengthening Bahrain’s relations with friendly countries, particularly the USA.

In this regard, the Cabinet lauded the historic initiative taken by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud through calling for the three key summits, praising Saudi Arabia’s outstanding preparation for the historic events.

The high-profile participation in the summits and their positive outcomes prove Saudi Arabia’s weight and pivotal role in the GCC, Arab, Islamic and international arenas as clearly reflected in the constructive efforts it is exerting for the sake achieving global peace and stability, the Cabinet said.

The Cabinet welcomed the results of the GCC-US Summit, stressing that it is distinguished in its strategic dimensions and unique in its positive indications as it gave a new momentum to GCC-US cooperation, pushed it in an unprecedented way and contributed to building stronger and more robust relations, politically, economically and militarily between the two sides.

The session also welcomed the outcomes of the historic Arab-Islamic-American Summit and its significant role in establishing stronger and more effective and strategic partnerships and alliances, especially to combat terrorism and extremism and to consolidate the values of tolerance and moderation.

HRH the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of joint exhibitions in boosting trade promotion and bolstering economic cooperation, citing the First Bahraini-Egyptian Expo, hosted recently by Bahrain under his patronage.

The Prime Minister also stressed the need to keep pace with the rapid developments in the information and communication technology (ICT) and to adopt them in the educational institutions through events and activities that focus on them, citing the 15th International Conference co-organised by the World Association for Sustainable Development (WASD) and Al-Ahlia University, under the theme “Digital Revolution, Smart Cities And Performance Improvement towards a Sustainable Knowledge-Based Inclusive Development.”

HRH the Prime Minister, out of his interest in and follow-up on the issues raised by citizens, gave directives to the Ministry of Housing to meet the needs of the Sanabis villagers and include the old applications in the Northern City Projects, in accordance with the criteria in force. The ministry was also requested to identify the housing needs of Janousan residents.

The Prime Minister also gave instructions to the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning to provide more parking lots in Halat Bu-Maher, and to take the necessary procedures to acquire land for this purpose.

Tackling judicial issues, HRH the Prime Minister directed to adopt more procedures that ensure fast-tracking the implementation of court rulings and avoid delays, and requested the Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments to submit to the Cabinet a memorandum on the matter in the next session.

On human rights, the session praised the kingdom’s achievements regarding the consolidation and protection of human rights as reflected in the acclaim and appreciation it had gained during the discussion of Bahrain’s Third National Report to the UN Human Rights Council during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), held recently in Geneva.
The Council of Ministers valued highly the efforts exerted by the Kingdom’s delegation to the UN Human Rights Council, and their contributions to highlighting Bahrain’s bright human rights image, as well as its commitment to respecting human rights and basic liberties.

Reviewing the memoranda on its agenda, the Cabinet approved a draft law on the ratification of the unified GCC law on combating commercial fraud, adopted during the GCC Summit hosted recently by Bahrain, and referred it to the Legislative Branch in accordance with the constitutional and legal procedures.

The session also endorsed the ratification of an agreement signed between Bahrain and Tunisia on the Mutual Administrative Assistance for the Prevention, Investigation and Repression of Customs Offences, an agreement signed between Bahrain and Turkey on legal cooperation in the civil, commercial and criminal matters, and an agreement on air services, signed between Bahrain and Finland. The agreements were referred to the Legislative Branch in accordance with the constitutional and legal procedures.

The session also endorsed the ratification of a protocol to amend the Convention on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Tax Evasion in Respect of Taxes on Income and Capital, signed between Bahrain and the Philippines and decided to refer a draft law on its ratification to the Legislature in accordance with constitutional and legal procedures.

The Cabinet also referred to the parliament a draft-law on amending Article 56 of Traffic Law, promulgated by Law 23/2014, prepared by the Council of Representatives, along with a memorandum on the government’s response.

The session also discussed four proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives and approved the government’s responses as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs and presented by the Deputy Premier and committee chairman.

Source: Fana News