MANAMA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Bahrain has signed an agreement to receive 10 billion U.S. dollars of funding from three Gulf neighbors including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait, the official Bahrain News Agency reported Thursday.
The agreement will help meet the funding requirements of Bahrain's Fiscal Balance Program, a package of reforms announced Thursday by the Bahrain government.
The reforms are aimed at securing the island kingdom's long term fiscal stability, increasing non-oil revenues and eliminating its budget deficit by 2022.
Bahrain said it will restructure its finances to save 2.1 billion dollars annually, which will be achieved through budget cuts, voluntary retirement of government employees and streamlining distribution of cash subsidies.
Bahrain's Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khaled bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said in a statement that the decision demonstrates the government's commitment to putting its finances on a solid and sustainable footing.
The program, combined with the financial support from three Gulf neighbor states, allows for a "swift and achievable" consolidation with continued economic growth and prosperity, he said.
