HRH Premier chairs Cabinet session

Manama, June 6 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has extended his warmest congratulations and best wishes to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Bahraini people on the holy month of Ramadan. HRH Premier prayed to Allah the Almighty to bless HM the King with abundant good health, happiness and constant success, wishing the Bahraini people and the Arab and Islamic nations progress and prosperity on the auspicious occasion. Chairing the regular weekly cabinet session at the Gudaibiya Palace today, the Prime Minister urged to take advantage of the spiritual atmosphere prevailing during Ramadan and draw inspiration from its great religious lessons to foster the values of communication and rapprochement among the members of the one Bahraini society, and enhance social cooperation on everything that may strengthen cohesion, and unify ranks and stances. A statement by the Cabinet Secretary General Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al Nasser following today’s session said that the Council of Ministers voiced pride in the progress of executive-legislature cooperation during the second session of the fourth legislative term, adjourned recently as a per an Order issued by HM the King, praising the fruitful national achievements attained during the current session. On security, HRH the Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Interior to take the necessary security measures to prevent the escape of detainees or prisoners, and tasked the Interior Minister to conduct the required investigations into the circumstances of the recent escape of a number of detainees, address shortcomings and hold those responsible accountable. HRH Premier commended the efforts exerted by the security authorities and personnel in maintaining security and stability. The Prime Minister was commenting on a security briefing presented by the Interior Minister on the circumstances of the detainees’ escape incident, and the prompt actions taken to deal with it. The session then highlighted the importance of the economic and security issues, as well as the regional and global security developments discussed by the Consultative Summit of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It lauded the summit’s fruitful outcomes, especially regarding the establishment of a high-level Economic and Development Affairs Commission. The high-profile panel will be responsible for enhancing integration and coordination among the GCC states in all economic and development fields, and to expedite joint action. HRH the Prime Minister congratulated the newly-appointed Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs and Minister of Oil on the royal trust bestowed upon them, wishing them success within the cabinet’s work team. Referring to HRH Premier’s patronage of the “Khalifa bin Salman Press Award” ceremony, the session praised the positive and influential role of the Bahrain Press in the national scene, as well as the commendable contributions of all the members of the press community in the kingdom. The Cabinet stressed that the award is a creative initiative aiming to enhance fair competition among journalists in assuming their noble mission, and congratulated the winners. HRH the Prime Minister called for the need to strengthen the media offices of ministries and government departments to improve their way of dealing with issues related to their specialties at the domestic and international levels, noting that they should cooperate and coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Information Affairs in this regard. The Cabinet also praised the 17th Congress of Arab Towns Organisation (ATO), hosted recently by the kingdom under the patronage of HRH the Prime Minister, stressing the importance of the event in consolidating Arab cooperation to advance Arab towns and their residents. On development, HRH Premier directed the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry to continue developing the infrastructure, road networks and services in Isa Town and Bani Jamra and include them in its programmes. He also instructed the Housing Minister to follow up on the housing needs of Karzakan citizens. On education, the session discussed the skills that enhance the scientific capabilities of students and their measurement indicators through the National Exams, particularly in three basic subjects, namely Arabic, English and Problem-solving. In this regard, the session was informed about the results of the National Examinations, held by the National Authority of Qualifications and Quality Assurance for Education and Training (QQA) for 12th grade students. According to the memorandum presented by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and Deputy QQA board chairman, 9,831 students from 36 public schools, and 141 students from six private schools sat the G-12 National Examinations. The memorandum was referred to the Supreme Council for the Development of Education and Training. The Cabinet also discussed and referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs a memorandum of understanding on the friendship relations between Manama and Shenzhen in China, presented by the Minister of Interior. The session also discussed a number of proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives, including Bahraini gold and pearl, protection of the marine environment from the effects of reclamation, a fisherman harbour in Arad and the commercial outlets in the Salmabad housing project. The government’s replies to the proposals were referred to the Legislative Branch.