Housing minister receives Russian delegation

Manama, Dec. 5 (BNA): Housing Minister, Bassim bin Yaqoob Al-Hamar, received here today, in the presence of the First Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives, MP Ali Al-Aradi, a Russian parliamentary delegation from the State Duma, led by MP Rasul Botashev. The minister discussed with the delegation the Bahraini-Russian cooperation and coordination relations. He also briefed them about 60 years of housing services in Bahrain, noting that those services are delivered by the government to low-income citizens according to the Housing Ministry’s criteria and policies. He highlighted the unlimited support of the leadership and the government for the social and affordable housing in the kingdom, citing the Housing Ministry’s initiatives and plans aimed at achieving sustainability of the housing issue through the new cities and the partnerships with the private sector. He asserted that the Housing Ministry plans to change its role from a provider of housing services to a regulator of them. Al-Hamar pointed out that the Housing Ministry has recently signed a cooperation document with the UNDP to ensure that its housing plans keep abreast with the economic and social changes taking place in the kingdom. He also informed the delegation about the eligibility criteria for benefiting from housing services. The State Duma delegation members expressed their admiration for Bahrain’s experience in providing social housing services for the citizens, as well as for the Ministry’s plans to provide affordable housing for low-income citizens.