Bahrain's landmark achievements in 2014

Manama, Dec. 27. (BNA) – 2014 has been among the most successful years in the kingdom’s history, given the landmark achievements attained in many fields thanks to the efforts of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the government, chaired by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the Bahraini people. In 2014, Bahrain has enhanced its political process, achieved high economic growth, reduced security incidents, consolidated its regional and international relations and maintained its status as an oasis of peace, security, tolerance and co-existence. At the political, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, upon directives from HM the King, held a series of meetings with the heads of all major political societies and a number of independent MPs. The meetings outlined a set of key topics from which bilateral talks progressed under the stewardship of the Royal Court Minister. Talks resulted in five common grounds. HRH Crown Prince met community leaders and informed them about the five common grounds which they accepted. After that, he met HRH Premier and submitted to him the National Dialogue outcomes. Then, HRH the Crown Prince delivered the National Dialogue Framework to HM the King, who approved the implementation of the common ground, and refer some of them to the National Assembly. The implementation of the National Dialogue outcomes paved the way for the kingdom to embark on a new series of reforms. Another outstanding political achievement in 2014 was the success of the parliamentary and municipal elections, held in November. The citizens headed massively to the polling stations to exercise their rights and enhance the Kingdom’s democratic process despite intimidation and threats. The kingdom’s electoral process has been widely praised by the International Community, and the first session of the fourth legislative term was inaugurated by HM the King on December 14. Economically, the kingdom’s growth exceeded 5.6%, and economic indicators were positive as proved by many international institutions such Fitch, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Such positive economic results will promote the kingdom’s status and attract more investors to it. According to experts, Bahrain maintained its growth rates and was not affected by the sudden decline in oil prices thanks to its sound policies and keenness to diversify sources of income. Among the most remarkable economic achievements in 2014 was the launch of the "King Hamad Causeway" linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The milestone project was announced during HM King Hamad’s visit to Saudi Arbia and meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdulla bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in September. On security, the number of terror incidents decreased, unauthorized weapons were confiscated, theft cases went down by 33.3% and fire incidents by 49% thanks to the tireless efforts of the security bodies. They also ensured the success of the electoral process. HM the King paid tribute to security bodies when he visited the Royal Academy of Police on October 28, and inaugurated new facilities. A day later, HM King Hamad issued order to enable seriously wounded security personnel to treat abroad. The Royal kind gesture also included conferring the Medal of Duty on martyrs of duty and granted financial bonuses to the injured. On defence, joint drills with brotherly and friendly countries increased, and the 12th GCC Defence Council was hosted by the Kingdom. HM the King also allocated a 163,300 m2-land lot to expand the premises of the Joint Peninsula Shield Forces in Bahrain. On the BDF Anniversary, HM the King inaugurated three warships. Commenting on Bahrain’s defence achievement, BDF Commander-in-Chief said that had become an advanced force with cutting-edge military equipment and highly-trained personnel. On human development, the kingdom’s leading position at the Arab level has been consolidated. According to a report by the UNDP report, Bahrain was ranked 44th at the global level. In a related context, the kingdom increased its health and education establishments, and encouraged the private sector to invest in such vital sectors. The government also allocated further funds to needy families, orphans and the elderly, created jobs for Bahraini job-seekers, which helped reduce the un-employment to just 3.8%. Efforts to provide decent housing for the citizens continued as well, in line with HM the King’s Order to build 40,000 units. Regarding foreign policy, the kingdom consolidated its relations with GCC, and brotherly and friendly countries in order to serve its national interests, support its economy and rectify the false image disseminated by enemies of the nation. During 2014, Bahraini leaders paid successful visits to a number of brotherly and friendly countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, Russia, Pakistan, France, Britain, Italy and the Vatican. A number of key agreements were signed for the sake of strengthening the kingdom’s regional and international relations. Many leaders and senior officials also visited the kingdom in 2014. They included Kuwaiti Amir, Deputy Saudi Crown Prince, UAE Vice-President and senior officials from China, India, USA, Turkey, among others. HM the King also contributed to efforts to harmonise relations among GCC countries, and took part in the GCC Summit in Doha. HM the King called for the need to speed up efforts to move towards the Gulf Union, and enhance joint Arab action. The Kingdom also contributed significantly to efforts to combat terrorism through hosting the a number of international and regional meetings and conference, including mainly the Bahrain Conference on Combating Terrorism Funding in November and the regional security summit –IISS Manama Dialogue. Bahrain has also succeeded in rectifying the distorted image disseminated by biased media outlets thanks to the efforts of loyal citizens and the tremendous efforts of the Information Affairs Ministry.