Shura Chairman receives IPU Secretary General

Manama, Dec. 13 (BNA): Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh has stressed that the legislative branch in the Kingdom of Bahrain is open to all parliaments and legislative councils in the world to coordinate stances and visions regarding issues of common concern. He said building relations with parliaments is in tune with the visions and directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to fraternal and friendly relations with all countries in the world. The Shura Council Chairman commended cooperation and integration between the legislative branch and the government led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. Al Saleh was speaking as he received today Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Martin Chungong, in the presence of Shura Council First Deputy Chairman, Jamal Mohammed Fakhro, Second Deputy Chairman, Jamila Ali Salman, and Deputy Head of the Services Committee, Hala Ramzi Fayez. The Shura Council Chairman pointed out the council’s keenness to interact positively with the IPU’s activities. He took pride in the kingdom’s honorable representation in the permanent committees of IPU. He lauded the great efforts of IPU since its establishment around 132 years ago to promote democracy and active political participation. He praised the measures taken by IPU to ensure continuity of its meetings, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. He noted that changes and challenges in the world put a bigger responsibility on parliaments to pass legislations and laws in harmony with those changes. The Shura Council Chairman commended the dedicated efforts of the IPU Secretary General and his continuous endeavor to develop performance of the union’s Secretariat General. He congratulated him on his re-appointment as IPU Secretary General for the period 2022-2026. The IPU Secretary General praised Bahrain’s remarkable progress in all fields which reflects an ambitious vision to ensure sustainable growth and prosperity. He lauded active participation of the Bahraini delegations in the IPU meetings, commending the kingdom’s democratic march.