HRH Princess Sabeeka receives Egyptian delegation

Manama, Dec. 12 (BNA): Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), has extended profound condolences to the brotherly Egyptian people and the families of the victims of the terrorist blast that targeted a church in Cairo on Sunday and claimed the lives of many innocent people. She prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the souls of the victims in eternal peace and bless their relatives with patience and fortitude, wishing the wounded speedy recovery. HRH Princess Sabeeka was speaking while receiving that the SCW's premises today a delegation from Egypt's National Council for Women (NCW), led by its President, Dr. Maya Morsi. HRH Princess Sabeeka welcomed the NCW President, affirming the depth of the long-standing Bahraini-Egyptian relations, and praising the existing partnership between them in various fields, especially regarding women's issues. Wife of HM the King discussed with the visiting delegation areas of joint cooperation, as part of efforts to activate the memorandum of understanding signed between the SCW and Egypt's NCW in 2008 through organising activities and events that highlight Arab women's progress in various fields. She stressed the importance of activating cooperation among all women-related mechanisms in the Arab countries, exchange expertise and highlight Arab women's success stories. "We hope that there are joint Arab activities aimed at rectifying the erroneous image of Arab women in the western media, which does not reflect the real situation in the Arab region," she said. It is high time we highlighted the ongoing serious institutional work for comprehensive development in our countries, and that women have the lion's share in that work, she said. "We have to clarify to the International Community that we have gone beyond the 'women empowerment' stages, and that Arab women are capable of empowering the communities around them thanks to their deep-rooted presence in the labour market, as well as thanks to their skills and competence, and the support of Arab societies for their participation," she said. HRH Princess Sabeeka thanked the National Council for Women's delegation for visiting the kingdom, noting that the solid SCW-NCW's cooperation started 15 years ago. She lauded the strides made by Egyptian women, alongside their Bahraini counterparts, which, she said, is considered a milestone in the Arab women's march, as a whole.