Embassy celebrates Bahrain's National Day in The Hague

The Hague, Dec. 12 (BNA): Non-resident Ambassador of Bahrain to the Netherlands, Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, has hosted an event in The Hague, Netherlands Kingdom. The luncheon marks the Kingdom of Bahrain's National Day celebrations on 16 and 17 December, in commemoration of the establishment of the modern Bahraini state as an Arab and Muslim country founded by Ahmed Al-Fateh in 1783, the 47th anniversary of its full membership in the United Nations, and the 19th accession anniversary of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to the throne. The event was attended by the Director of the Middle East & North Africa Division at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey van Leeuwen, and GCC Coordinator of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, International Court of Justice Judge Peter Tomka, and Senior VP for Middle East, Gulf & India at Air France-KLM, Welmer Blom. A number of ambassadors, diplomats, media professionals and businesspersons residing in the Kingdom of the Netherlands also attended. On this occasion, Shaikh Fawaz delivered a speech highlighting the strong relationship between the two friendly countries, praising the level of bilateral relations. He also noted the mutual desire to constantly promote and develop these relations in various fields and levels. The ambassador of Bahrain discussed in his speech the progress of the reformist democratic approach in the Kingdom, noting the historical success of the parliamentary and municipal elections in the Kingdom of Bahrain, with a 67% turnout. He also pointed out the significant role of Bahraini women in this democratic process and their outstanding participation in the parliamentary and municipal elections, which serves the interests of the country. The Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division of the Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed the keenness of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to further developing bilateral relations in all economic, cultural and political fields. He also congratulated the Kingdom of Bahrain on winning the membership of the Human Rights Council for the third time, highlighting in this regard the efforts of the Kingdom in the field of human rights. He also praised the Kingdom’s achievement of Tier 1 status in the U.S. State Department's 2018 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. The GCC Coordinator of the Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed thanks to the Kingdom of Bahrain for holding this ceremony, praising the efforts exerted by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to further enhance joint cooperation between the two Kingdoms, wishing Bahrain further progress and prosperity.