Manama, February 21 (BNA) His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister chaired today the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al-Qudaibiya Palace.
The Cabinet stressed the importance of the American trade zone in advancing economic progress, commercial investment and bilateral trade cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States of America.
The Cabinet welcomed the laying of the foundation stone for the American Trade Zone, which comes after the announcement of a package of investment and strategic projects within the Bahraini Industry Sector Strategy (2022-2026) and the economic recovery plan.
The Council of Ministers expressed its sincere congratulations to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the Kingdom’s first celebration of the founding day. The Cabinet highlighted the depth of culture and history within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the progress it has made in its development across many sectors, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. And with the support of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Cabinet congratulated the Emir, the government and citizens of the State of Kuwait on the 61st National Day and the 31st Liberation Day. The Cabinet praised the progress and prosperity witnessed by the State of Kuwait under the leadership of its Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and the support of its Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. -morning.
After reviewing the latest developments in Ukraine, the Cabinet expressed its hope that diplomacy would prevail and that differences would be settled by peaceful means without escalation. The Council also expressed its hope that the efforts of the international community would be focused on achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace.
After reviewing the memo of the Minister of Interior, the Council of Ministers launched 24 initiatives to develop the services of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs. These initiatives are part of Bahrain’s economic recovery plan and will contribute to enhancing the Kingdom’s competitiveness and supporting development across the economic, investment and service sectors.
These initiatives include the expansion of instant and electronic visas, the King Fahd Causeway visa, the introduction of the trusted traveler system, the training visa, the introduction of a residence permit for foreigners of Gulf wives, the issuance of electronic passports, and cancellation. Access cards, passport delivery inside and outside the Kingdom of Bahrain, and lowering the price of the multiple-entry visa.
During the meeting, the Council of Ministers discussed a number of memoranda with the following results:
Agree to the following notes:
1. A note by the Governmental Executive Committee on the Afforestation Plan in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which aims to double the number of trees by 2035. The number of mangroves will be quadrupled, in line with the goals of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). . The plan also includes a number of initiatives, such as increasing the number of trees in government projects, encouraging community partnership to increase green spaces, introducing policies that support afforestation, and encouraging individuals to participate in afforestation.
2- A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the government’s response to 3 proposals and law proposals from the House of Representatives.
The Cabinet reviewed the following topics:
1. The memorandum of the Ministerial Committee for Development and Infrastructure Projects on the summary of the Committee’s work in 2021. The summary includes the most important topics discussed by the Committee and its priorities for accelerating the implementation of projects.
The Cabinet reviewed a ministerial report by the Minister of Transport and Communications regarding the Kingdom of Bahrain’s participation in the LEAP International Technology Conference, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
AOQ