HRH Crown Prince chairs weekly Cabinet meeting

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, today chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.

Following the meeting, the Cabinet Secretary-General, HE Dr. Yasser bin Issa Al-Nasser, made the following remarks:

During the meeting HRH the Crown Prince praised the launch of Alba’s Line 6 Expansion Project, inaugurated by His Majesty the King, noting its importance to the Kingdom’s economy as a provider of quality jobs for citizens and as a key component of the Kingdom’s aluminium production industry. HRH the Crown Prince added that, by increasing production, the project will in turn increase the competitiveness of Bahrain’s aluminium industry regionally and globally, reflecting the government’s drive to build a diversified economy based on the principles of sustainability, competitiveness and fairness, as set out in Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030.

The Cabinet praised the success of the 15th edition of the Manama Dialogue held under the patronage of HRH the Crown Prince. HRH the Crown Prince highlighted the important role of the forum, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in providing a platform for constructive discussions on the various security challenges faced by the region as well as the world. 

HRH the Crown Prince paid tribute to the success of Jewelry Arabia 2019, held under the patronage of HRH the Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. The exhibition, inaugurated by the Deputy Prime Minister, HH Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, is a key event which helps to promote tourism investment opportunities, which were highlighted in a presentation given by the Minister of Industry, Commerce & Tourism.

HRH the Crown Prince also highlighted the success of the Kingdom’s first international horse race, the Bahrain International Trophy, paying tribute to the efforts of Bahrain’s stewards in organising and hosting the event.

In an effort to preserve the environment and combat the causes of air pollution, HRH the Crown Prince directed for the monitoring of Bahrain’s air quality, and to guarantee its consistency with global safety standards by measuring air pollution indicators. HRH the Crown Prince further directed that, should sources of air pollution be identified, action should be taken to address them through direct action or policy development. HRH the Crown Prince instructed the Supreme Council for Environment to cooperate and coordinate with relevant ministries and government agencies on this matter.

A number of submissions, memorandums and proposed laws were discussed during the meeting.

The Cabinet outlined the following outcomes:

Based on the recommendation of the Civil Service Council, chaired by HRH the Crown Prince, the Cabinet approved executive regulations of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps Law of 2009 as amended by Law No. 20 of 2014. The executive regulations regulate the appointment of members of the diplomatic corps, promotions within the diplomatic corps, performance evaluations, transportation, delegation, secondments, expenses processing, including housing expenses, health insurance expenses, mobility expenses, educational expenses for children of members of the diplomatic mission and so forth. The Cabinet approved the Draft Law on the issuance of the executive regulations, as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs.

Based on the recommendation of the Civil Service Council, chaired by HRH the Crown Prince, the Cabinet approved the schedule of allowances for members of diplomatic and consular corps, and the schedule of allowances for members of the diplomatic and consular missions. The Cabinet approved both Draft Laws regulating these schedules, as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs.

In light of HRH the Prime Minister’s directives to utilise medical assistance from Bahraini doctors working in private medical institutions for medical consultations and surgical operations needed at Salmaniya Medical Complex, the Cabinet reviewed a Draft Resolution, submitted by the Minister of Health, stipulating the procedures and regulations needed to swiftly implement the directives. The Cabinet referred the Draft Resolution to the Government Executive Committee.

The Cabinet approved an amendment to the executive guidelines of the Board of Directors of the National Space Science Agency which cancel Article 5 of  the regulations as contained in the memorandum submitted by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunication, Chairman of the Board of the National Space Science Agency.

The Cabinet later reviewed four reports submitted by various ministers.

•  The first report, submitted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, regarded an official visit to the Russian Federation.

•  The second report, submitted by the Minister of Health, detailed information on the World Health Summit, held recently in Abu Dhabi.

•  The third report, submitted by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, outlined the outcomes of the GCC Industrial Cooperation Committee and Trade Cooperation Committee meetings in Muscat, as well as the participation at the Tourism Security Forum, held in Al Ahsa, and the Dubai International Air Show.

•  The fourth and final report, submitted by the Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs, detailed information on the 2019 International Youth Innovation Conference, held recently in China.