Category: Internal Affairs

A delegation from the municipality of the French city of Poitier, including Mayor Leonore Moncond Hui, and a number of members of its municipal council, visited the Byblos district at the invitation of Dr. Christian El Khoury. The delegation began its visit in the town of Hasrayel, where it was briefed on a method used in storing rainwater by collecting it from the tents of the protected crops. Then it moved to Bentael, where it visited the reserve and was briefed by the head of the reserve committee, Raymond El-Khoury, on its operation. Then, it headed to the town of Ehmej where it was welcomed by the head of the municipality, Nazih Abi Semaan, and toured the water-collecting ponds at the top of the town. Afterwards, the delegation moved to the town of Jaj, where they examined its perennial oaks and visited the Jaj Cedar Reserve accompanied by its committee members. The delegation expressed admiration for the reserve and promised, after returning to France, to "do everything possible to encourage the French to visit Jbeil, especially the Reserves of Bentael and Cedars of Jaj." The delegation concluded its visit with a dinner held in its honor by Dr. Khoury at his residence, which was attended by Jbeil MP Simon Abi Ramia and Mayor Wissam Zaarour.

Source: National News Agency - Lebanon

The head of the Federal Integrity Commission, Judge Haider Hanoun, affirmed: "The responsibility requires saving the people from corruption and combating poverty through investment and the private sector."

Hanoun said in his speech at the forum held by the Federal Integrity Commission in cooperation with the Iraqi embassy in Abu Dhabi, according to a statement by the Commission: "The silence of the private sector on extortion gave the corrupt power and made them commit major crimes."

He added: "All segments of the Iraqi people must cooperate with the Commission in confronting the corrupt and support the (Army of the Integrity) to break the thorn of the (Army of Corruption)", pointing to "the importance of exploiting the harmony between the judiciary, the government and the people's representatives and their true orientation to fight corruption."

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

In implementation of the directives of the leadership, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Kingdom of Bahrain has decided to resume diplomatic representation at the level of ambassadors with the brotherly Republic of Lebanon.

This decision comes in order to strengthen the brotherly relations between the two countries and its peoples and promote mutual respect, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the Arab League, and the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Social Development Minister Osama bin Ahmed Khalaf Al Asfoor received the the newlook British Club board led by chairman Christopher Woodrow on congratulated them on their election for a new term.

He commended the role played by civil society organizations, hailing their partnership with competent national authorities to achieve the desired goals in terms of humanitarian and development work.

He added that the ministry would continue supporting civil society organizations in accordance with the laws and regulations in force in this regard.

The British Club chairman and board members commended the ministry’s efforts and support to non-lucrative NGOs in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Kingdom of Bahrain, represented by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), participated in the 118th Executive Council of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, during May 16 -18.

BTEA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Naser Qaedi, headed Bahrain’s delegation to the UNWTO Executive Council in the presence of over 30 countries representing member states, including ministers and high officials in charge of tourism in the member states, representatives of public or private structures concerned, destination management bodies, as well as specialized investors.

Dr. Qaedi took part in plenary sessions conversing about world tourism recovery and digital transformation, where he asserted that Bahrain is one of the leading countries to witness inbound tourism recovery during the year 2022 by over 90% compared to pre-pandemic levels, outperforming the international recovery rate, which was estimated by the World Tourism Organization at a rate of 60%.

"The robust pace of Bahrain’s tourism recovery proves the advancement of tourism's various packages and countless promotional and marketing efforts to enhance the Kingdom’s position as an international tourism destination, with the focus of attracting tourism investments in the public and private sectors with the support of BTEA", he said.

During his briefing on global tourism developments, the UNWTO secretary general, Zurab Pololikashvili, shed light on Bahrain as one of the three countries, including Spain and Israel, in the area of tourism technology and innovation through the BTEA’s participation in UNWTO tourism tech initiatives.

The 118th Executive Council sessions discussed multiple topics related to finding out the best solutions to develop the tourism sector and support the positive recovery indicators, along with looking for ways to maximize tourism investments, create more jobs in the sector, and adopt more supportive initiatives for tourism growth and prosperity.

On the sidelines of the session, Dr. Qaedi held talks with Zurab Pololikashvili, the UNWTO secretary general, to discuss travel and tourism's role in the world economy's recovery.

He also met with Ahmed Alkhateeb Tourism Minister of Saudi Arabia, to discuss mutual cooperation and efforts exerted to promote both Kingdoms as a unified tourism destination globally.

Dr. Qaedi held a meeting with the head of the UAE tourism delegation to discuss promoting tourism and enhancing joint tourism collaboration.

He also held talks with Japan and South Korea's tourism delegation heads to discuss the fruitful outcomes of the recent visit of the Bahraini ministerial delegation to Tokyo and Seoul in order to activate agreements, investment opportunities, and tourism partnerships.

"We are pleased to take part in the 118th UNWTO Executive Council which showcases Bahrain’s valued tourism contribution as an active elected member at the executive council among 35 countries representing 6 regions around the globe during 2021–2024”, he said.

“This achievement reflects Bahrain’s relentless efforts to double tourism's contribution to the national economy and develop tourism infrastructure with a unique set of projects”, he added.

“We at BTEA are fully committed to achieving tourism's new strategy goals, which will positively affect tourism product diversity and increase tourist flows to the Kingdom from various nationalities around the world", he concluded.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Survey and Land Registration Bureau (SLRB) President Shaikh Salman bin Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa stressed the importance of partnership between the public and private sectors in supporting national development goals.

He commended hailed the the private sector as a vital and active partner in creating rewarding opportunities for citizens and supporting development pathways, in line with the visions and aspirations of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Government’s plans and programmes, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

He was addressing a meeting concluding workshops held by the Survey and Land Registration Bureau, in cooperation with the the Engineering Professions Regulatory Council, the Bahrain Society of Engineers, the Society of Engineering Offices, and the Private Survey Office.

The workshops aimed to optimize survey services provided by the private sector to meet the needs of the beneficiaries of these services, said SLRB chief.

The engineering sector concerned with survey work is capable of delivering premium services that include all types of real estate, topographic and marine surveys, he added.

He underlined SLRB’s pivotal role in supporting Bahrain’s urban development and expanding the required infrastructures for various sectors through the provision of accurate data and advanced services that incorporate cutting edge technologies.

He noted the soaring demand on SLRB’s services, noting that the expansion of the real estate market requires the involvement of the private sector to benefit from its expertise.

Source: Bahrain News Agency