Foreign Minister attends Arab Summit in Beirut

Beirut, Jan. 20(BNA): The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, conveyed the greetings of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to the President of the Lebanese Republic, Michel Aoun and his wishes of success for the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit. He also conveyed the greetings and wishes of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to the Lebanese President and people. This came during the Minister’s participation on behalf of His Majesty the King in the 4th Arab Economic and Social Development Summit held in Beirut today. The Minister of Foreign Affairs lauded the efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in hosting the 3rd Arab Development Summit. The Minister affirmed the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain in supporting joint economic and development Arab action to achieve the interests of Arab countries. He noted the importance of alliances and cooperation to guarantee food security and providing strategic stock to avoid any potential crises in the future. He also underscored the importance of activating joint Arab actions in all vital sectors in order to combat economic and social challenges facing Arab countries and people, including extremism, wars and attempts to categorize people based on their religions and sects. He added that such challenges, which threaten Arab peace and security, will be overcome through devising integrated plans, developing education and protecting investment and intellectual property. The Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain, in support of strategic Arab action, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of Arab common market for electricity, which will have an important impact on saving energy between Arab states. He stated that the Kingdom of Bahrain has submitted its 1st National Voluntary Review on the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals 2030 during the High-level Political Forum, held under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council in New York. Regarding the Palestinian Cause, the Minister of Foreign Affairs called for collective efforts to implement the projects listed in the Strategic Sectorial Development Strategic Plan for East Jerusalem (2018-2022). As for the refugees’ crisis in Arab countries, the Minister of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has provided aid and established health, education and social centers for refugees in a number of brotherly countries. He stressed the importance of cooperation between international donors, specialized organizations and Arab funds in order to alleviate the suffering of refugees and to secure financing for development projects in the Arab countries hosting them.