HM King of Bahrain opens first session of 5th Legislative Term

Manama, Dec. 12 (BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa patronised here today, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, the first session of the fifth Legislative Term of the Shura and Representatives councils. HM King Hamad was welcomed by Shura Council Chairman, Ali bin Saleh Al-Saleh, and MP, Yussef Zainal, on arrival at the Isa Cultural Centre, accompanied by a constellation of police cavalry.  The National anthem was played and some holy Quran verses were recited. Then, HM the King delivered the follwoing keynote speech:  "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful   "Praise be to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon Prophet Mohammed and his family and companions, "Brothers and sisters, distinguished members of the National Assembly, "Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you, with the blessing of God and His guidance, we open the first session of the fifth Legislative Term of the National Assembly, continuing our national march on the path of progress and stability, towards our common aspirations, as State and citizens, for success and prosperity.  "Ever since we made the pledge and set out our determination, with the support of our loyal people, to implement a reformist, modern vision based on our reality in Bahrain, our progress and productivity has accelerated with positive results, whose continuous growth strengthens the building of this state of law and institutions, and which has been able, with the help of God, and through its rich path and young age, to solidify our pioneering Bahraini experience with its achievements, distinguished in its essence and wide in its outlook.  "We are pleased to congratulate our brothers and sisters on their membership of the current National Assembly and the municipal councils, wishing them success in their endeavours to continue the development of parliamentary and municipal work and reinforce its traditions, to help in following up our esteemed Government’s national responsibilities, maintaining the friendly relations between the executive and legislative authorities, so as to strengthen the ties of integration and cooperation, and abide by the principle of separation of powers and advancing public interest. "On this occasion, we would like to express our great satisfaction with the outstanding success of the national elections, whose outcomes reaffirm the strength of the democratic experience and the solid will of the people in upholding the interest of Bahrain. We would also like to thank here the Chairman and members of the High Elections Committee, along with the ladies and gentlemen members of the Judiciary, for their distinguished work and follow-up characterized by remarkable development and sincere efforts which are greatly appreciated. "We thank all the relevant State institutions for their outstanding performance in ensuring the success of the electoral process with its impressive outcomes, and which witnessed the participation of individuals that greatly pleased us, such as the voting of elderly citizens over the age of a hundred, whom God has helped in fulfilling their duty with their youthful national spirit, and we thank them for their keenness which demonstrates their solid will. Their participation is a great example of the commitment of Bahraini citizens to managing the affairs of their country. On this occasion, we are pleased to grant them the "Order of Bahrain" as recognition and appreciation from this generation to their great generation, and thank them for being with us today, and we all extend to them every thanks, greeting and appreciation. "Distinguished guests, with the beginning of a new phase of work, which we are preparing for together with eagerness and hope, we find it appropriate to talk with you about our national public affairs, to assess what we have accomplished, and to look forward to what we would like to achieve, God willing. At the national development level, our main priority is the goal to achieve financial balance by adopting a well-defined programme that accelerates our national efforts to rectify the public budget situation and diversify our income, under the supervision of our dear uncle, the Prime Minister, with the tireless efforts and help of our son and Crown Prince. We express to them here our pride in the promising results of the national economy which, through its strong performance, has managed to maintain its positive growth and enhance its global financial reputation. "Among our commitments for the national economy and to develop its sources of income, is to work tirelessly to continue to attract and encourage national and international investments, in order to create further work opportunities and choices, in particular in the field of energy supply diversification and development of the oil sector, which is in turn witnessing a qualitative leap following the discovery of the largest oil and gas field in the history of Bahrain. In this regard, we look forward to the field development plans yielding the desired developmental returns.  "We call here on our brothers and sisters members of the legislative authority to take into account the priorities of national action and future requirements, and to continue the efforts of those before them in supporting the necessary reforms and actions, among the most important of which relates to the sustainability of pension funds to ensure their ability to fulfil their obligations towards future generations. We also call upon the esteemed Government to put among its priorities for the coming work period the necessary plans to develop areas of investments and diversify sources of income to the insurance funds to improve the services provided to retirees, and to work intensively on reviewing its policies in a comprehensive manner to accelerate the pace of national action, maximize our gains and develop our experiences. "We convey our sincere thanks to our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the State of Kuwait, for their noble stances, which we highly appreciate, in supporting our national efforts to achieve the sought after financial balance and economic growth, through which we will work to strengthen facets of our integration and economic cooperation with our brothers, within the context of our common policies that aim to maintain the security and stability of the region and safeguard its gains. "As part of our commitment to our Arab and Islamic surroundings, we will continue to defend our Arab and Islamic causes in international forums, and the Palestinian issue is at the forefront of our interests. We will seek that the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights, including the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.  "Distinguished guests, it is our utmost satisfaction and pride to note to our sons and daughters that, with the grace of God, and thanks to their determination and perseverance to present the best for their country, Bahrain has been able to achieve and accomplish many successes too abundant to list, praise be to Allah. "Specifically we highlight the leading role of the Bahraini woman, preserving her national identity and noble traditions, that has contributed in shaping our contemporary civil state, surpassing the stage of empowerment, support and claiming rights, to a stage in which we witness an advanced and responsible presence of the Bahraini woman, in which she enjoys her human rights fully and works alongside her brother on the basis of balanced partnership towards development, which is not unusual for her, as she is a pioneer and educator.    "We are proud of the outstanding accomplishments that our promising young people have achieved and continue to achieve in all the development, defence and sporting fields. The youth and sports sector has recorded many achievements, testifying to the truth of the promise of our dear son His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa that this year would be the year of gold with distinction. His big victory was an example of the keenness of a leader to turn a vision into reality, and the number of gold medals carrying the name of Bahrain reached 197 medals, in addition to 158 silver medals and 135 bronze medals, in this year alone. This was possible thanks to, after Allah, the efforts of the sons and daughters of Bahrain, in whom we take great pride. We salute them for their achievements, and look forward to meeting them at the soonest opportunity, to greet and thank them for what they have done. It is auspicious that your win as members of the Representatives Council coincides with the year of gold, a title that we have adopted for all our national efforts. In this regard, we emphasise the need to develop the necessary legislation to support the youth and sports sector, to continue the gold achievements of Bahrain for many years to come, God willing. "Distinguished guests, any national discourse would not be complete without commending and glorifying the vital role of our defence and security forces, and their affiliates, leaders and personnel, of whose achievements we are proud. We appreciate their efforts and commitment, and cherish their unlimited sacrifices to preserve the security and stability of our country, as indispensable means to continue our advancement and progress. It is our duty to reaffirm the importance of continuous development of our defence capabilities in order to safeguard the strength and sovereignty of the country. "We are pleased on this blessed occasion to express our ongoing appreciation for the responsible role of our constitutional institutions. We refer here to the efforts of the legislative authority, through which our legislative system has witnessed noticeable maturity and development, and whose serious work has had a clear role in caring for and protecting the high interests of Bahrain and expressing the aspirations of the citizens.    "That steadfastness and determination to develop had an important role in continuing the consensus on our national foundations and maintaining the stability, territorial integrity and unity of our country, as well as in transforming our aspirations of reforms and modernization into a real and successful experience, through preserving its authentic national identity and Arab and Islamic character, and its commitment to the protection and stability of its region, so that Bahrain continues its humanitarian role, extending  bridges of love and peace with its international family.  "In conclusion, as we celebrate our National Days, may Bahrain enjoy its continued prosperity and live free and proud with its noble people, wishing you a successful legislative term filled with contributions and achievements.  "Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you."