Premier: GCC countries capable of thwarting conspiracies

Manama, Mar. 12 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has stressed that bilateral and multi-lateral cooperation between the countries of the region has become a necessity, warning that the direct targeting of the region in an attempt to subvert its security and stability and eventually weaken it will not stop and therefore high caution and vigilance are required. HRH the Prime Minister pointed out that the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have succeeded in overcoming attempts to target their security through their unity, cohesion of their peoples and solidarity with each other, affirming that GCC states are capable of thwarting any conspiracies against them through placing joint interests above all other matters. The Prime Minister made the statements while receiving at the Gudaibiya Palace today the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee in Pakistan, General Zubair Mahmood. HRH Premier reviewed with the Pakistani official the progress of the solid Bahraini-Pakistani relations, and ways to bolster bilateral cooperation and coordination in various fields, especially amid the circumstances the region is currently going through, and require constant coordination to deal with them more effectively and reduce their impacts on regional and global security and economy. HRH Premier affirmed Pakistan's status as an Islamic power with regional and international weight, highlighting Bahrain's keenness to strengthen cooperation with it, especially in the military and defence fields. "Bahrain and Pakistan enjoy strong relations, common interests and joint keenness to further push cooperation between them at all levels, particularly in fields related to the military and war on terror," he said. HRH the Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with the advanced level reached by the Bahraini-Pakistani relations, affirming the kingdom's desire to consolidate mechanisms of joint cooperation with Pakistan at the Asian and international level to promote their efforts to strengthen the pillars of global peace and stability. Pakistan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee stressed that HRH the Prime Minister's wisdom, statesmanship and experience in dealing with various issues are widely appreciated in Pakistan, as they are in Arab world and the rest of countries in the world. He stressed that Pakistan's vision is based on the belief that the security of Bahrain, in particular, and that of GCC, in general, are of its security.