Bahrain PM chairs regular weekly cabinet meeting

The cabinet has lauded the great interest allocated to His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, the Secretary-General of Cabinet Dr. Yaser bin Essa Al-Nasser stated.
In a statement following today’s regular weekly session, chaired by HRH Premier at Gudaibiya Palace, Dr. Al-Nasser said that the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to the Prime Minister by the Saudi leadership reflected the depth and specificity of the Bahraini-Saudi relations thanks to the support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Saudi Monarch the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdulla bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The cabinet praised the outcomes of HRH Premier’s talks with the Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Defence Minister HRH Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Deputy Crown Prince and Second Deputy Premier HRH Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and senior Saudi officials, highlighting their importance in enhancing joint relations, and boosting bilateral trade cooperation, especially with regards to easing flow of trade via the King Fahad Causeway.
It underlined the need to develop Bahraini-Saudi cooperation in order to reach the aspired for complimentarily and enhance joint GCC action, lauding Saudi Arabia’s supportive stances towards the kingdom in all circumstances, and the Saudi Monarch efforts to support Arab causes and boost solidarity among GCC, Arab and Islamic states.
In this regard, it reviewed the procedures being taken by the relevant sides in coordination with their Saudi counterparts to achieve easy transactions at the King Fahad Causeway to ensure optimal exploitation of such a vital facility in a ways that boosts bilateral and GCC trade.
The cabinet welcomed the visit of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the Kingdom and the conference of the Palestinian Ambassadors to Arab countries hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain, reiterating Bahrain’s firm supportive stances towards the Palestinians and calling upon the International Community to assume its responsibilities and stop Israeli aggression on the Palestinian territories.
Concerning the directives issued by HM the King and HRH Premier during the cabinet session held on June 15, 2014, to inquire into reports that some individuals and institutions had received assistance to be trained outside the country, in breach of legal norms, HRH the Prime Minister directed to set up a committee, under the Chairmanship of Deputy Premier Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, to study the reports submitted by ministries and government bodies in this regard, and thanked them for their cooperation.
The implementation of the 3.5 Km Pearl Route Project, registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List, was given the green light during today’s session.
Under the project, 15 historical buildings will be revamped and rehabilitated. These buildings reflect the heritage of pearling along the 3.5 km trail located in the Island of Muharraq.
The project also includes the restoration and rehabilitation of 12 other historical buildings, the establishment of 18 public open spaces, four car parks for the visitors and residents of the area, renovation of the facades of 750 houses, as well as the establishment of a Visitor Information Centre and a pedestrian bridge.
In a related context, the cabinet agreed to increase the value of the loan provided by the Islamic Development Bank for the implementation of the Pearl Route project from BD15 million to BD18.1 million.