Cabinet hails BIAS success

Prime Minister HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has praised the outstanding success of the fourth Bahrain International Air Show (BIAS 2016), which saw a record number of participants and record number of deals agreed at the event. The high-profile event was held under the auspices of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

While chairing the Cabinet session at Gudaibiya Palace yesterday, the Prime Minister commended the tireless efforts of HM the King’s Personal Representative and President of BIAS Supreme Organising Committee, HH Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and the efforts of the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Kamal Ahmed, in preparing and delivering a successful event.

The Cabinet welcomed HRH the Prime Minister’s visit to the Council of Representatives, describing it as a reflection of the government’s keenness on further strengthening the cooperation and collaboration between the executive and legislative authorities, Secretary-General of the Cabinet Dr Yaser bin Essa Al-Nasser said in a statement following the session.

The Cabinet then stressed the importance of the arts and cultural sectors in Bahrain, and His Royal Highness praised the success of the 42nd Bahrain Fine Arts Exhibition, which was held recently under his patronage.

The Cabinet also welcomed the successful outcomes of the first Ministerial Meeting of the Arab-Indian Forum, which was hosted in Bahrain recently.

The Cabinet hailed the regional and international agreements made on a range of issues, as reflected in the Manama Declaration issued by the forum.

The Cabinet then discussed the acquisition of lands for public interest and the requirement for ministries and government departments to seek approval before the acquisition process begins. The Cabinet noted that government departments should also make sure that they have the necessary funds available in their budgets.

In this regard, the Premier issued directives to all ministries and government departments to swiftly compensate the owners of land and real estate that had been acquired recently.

The Ministerial Committee for Urbanisation and Infrastructure was requested to follow up on the matter in accordance with the provisions of Law 39/2009.

While reiterating the government’s commitment to removing obstacles facing small business owners, the Prime Minister requested the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism to coordinate with the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) to provide the necessary facilities for small business owners to deal with the current economic challenges.

In regards to agriculture, the Premier issued instructions to expand the use of treated water in the irrigation of the land in the south of the country to increase greenery in those areas.

The Water Resources Council was tasked with developing the necessary proposals in this regard.