Foreign Minster: Royal initiatives to promote inter-faith tolerance, human coexistence

Manama, Nov. 16 (BNA): Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, has praised the pioneering initiatives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the support of the government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, which strengthened the position of the Kingdom of Bahrain as an active partner in laying the foundations for tolerance and regional and global peace. The Minister expressed the Kingdom of Bahrain's pride in celebrating the International Day for Tolerance, on November 16, with its openness, tolerance and convergence among civilisations, as well as its pride in the approach of His Majesty the King, in respect of human rights and freedoms in the practice of religious rites, the presence of the highest rate of mosques in the world compared to the population, in addition to the largest Catholic church and the oldest Hindu temple in the region, a Jewish synagogue, and many places of different religions. The Minister stated that the parliamentary and municipal elections in their sixth session succeeded in presenting images of cohesion among the members by achieving a high participation rate that exceeded 73%, which is the largest since the start of the democratic process of His Majesty the King with the inauguration of the National Action Charter and the approval of constitutional amendments. The Minister stressed the Kingdom’s determination to perpetuate these values ​​and principles through the development of its legislation and policy that support the rights of citizenship and coexistence, and its implementation of many educational, media, religious and cultural programs and initiatives under the National Human Rights Plan (2022-2026). The Minister affirmed that under the foreign policy of His Majesty the King, the Kingdom of Bahrain has been able to convey its historical experience of tolerance, peaceful coexistence and respect for religious freedoms to the whole world, by organising international conferences for dialogue and rejecting hatred, launching the "Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain", signing the "Abraham Accords" for coexistence among the three Abrahamic religions, and following up on the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence's leading enlightening role. The Minister appreciated the historical results of the Bahrain Dialogue Forum "East and West for Human Coexistence", within the official visit of His Holiness Pope Francis, Pope of the Vatican, and with the participation of the Chairman of the Council of Muslim Elders, Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, amid international acclaim of the establishment of the "King Hamad Global Award for Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence", and His Majesty's call for international partnership in adopting diplomatic dialogue and peaceful means to end wars and conflicts. The Minister expressed the affirmation of the Kingdom of Bahrain of its adherence to the humanitarian and civilised approach, launched by His Majesty the King, and suppported by government, led by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in promoting and protecting human rights and religious, cultural and intellectual freedoms.