Foreign Minister hails HM King’s peace vision

Manama, Sept.20 (BNA): Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani affirmed that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa took a courageous decision to reinforce peace in the region, by signing the declaration supporting peace between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Israel. He pointed out that His Majesty's wise vision in this context stems from his firm belief in coexistence and tolerance between nations and peoples, and for peace, security and stability to prevail in the Middle East. This came today during a meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Ministry’s General Court, with a number of opinion writers in the local press. The meeting was in the presence of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, and the Executive of the National Communication Centre, Yousif Albinkhalil, in addition to a number of senior officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Al-Zayani expressed his deep appreciation for opinion writers in the local press and their sincere national efforts to enlighten, educate and inform public opinion about what is happening in the local, regional and international arena. He appreciated their prominent role in promoting the march of the Kingdom of Bahrain and contributing to building its renaissance, progress and prosperity in the bright era of his Majesty the King. He also pointed out that this fraternal meeting comes in implementation of the directives of His Majesty to communicate with the opinion writers to inform them of the contents of the declaration supporting peace. He indicated that the wise vision of His Majesty the King stresses the importance of spreading peace, stability and prosperity throughout the world, and the need to reach a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, as a strategic option, and settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict according to the two-state solution. He stated that the vision of His Majesty the King is based on the values of tolerance and coexistence between nations, peoples and religions. He said that Bahrain has been known throughout the ages as a tolerant, coexistent and accepting society, adding that these are authentic values that have been rooted in its people, affirming that peace needs courage, patience and perseverance, sincerity and faith. He added that the Kingdom of Bahrain, with its historic step, gained the respect of the countries of the world in America, Europe and Asia, noting that this historic step taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain is a message from the King and people to the world. The Foreign Minister explained that the declaration supporting peace is an important step for the Kingdom of Bahrain, adding that it is not directed against anyoneز He said that Bahrain believes in the principles of good neighborliness and resolving disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter, and seeks to make this region safe, stable and prosperous for the benefit of its people. He also stressed that security and stability go hand in hand, as there is no prosperity without security, and no security without prosperity. He said that during the past decades, the Middle East region has witnessed devastating wars and conflicts that have caused the deterioration of the situation of a number of Arab countries, and led to millions of Arab youths losing hope for a better future and a free and decent life. The Minister also affirmed that the tragic situation in a number of Arab countries needs to be handled with a new approach, one that helps restore security, stability and peace to the region, and gives people hope for a better future. For their part, the writers of opinion in the local press praised the important role and the courageous historical step taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain by signing a declaration supporting peace with the State of Israel. He noted the great efforts undertaken by the Kingdom to achieve security, peace and prosperity in the region, wishing the Kingdom of Bahrain more tangible achievements in everything that would serve the country and its citizens.