Foreign Minister participates in conference on advancing religious freedom

Manama, Nov. 16 (BNA): Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, today participated in the opening session of the third edition of the ministerial conference on advancing freedom of religion or belief, which is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland virtually to face the challenges of extremism, terrorism, and sectarianism that threaten the security, stability, and prosperity of the region, with the participation of a number foreign ministers from all over the world. The Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered a speech during the opening session in which he affirmed the need for the international community to intensify its efforts to counter extremist narratives, monitor hate speech, and promote and protect freedom of religion and belief. Dr. Al-Zayani added that the Kingdom of Bahrain has been, for hundreds of years, a beacon of religious freedom and diversity. He underlined that these freedoms are guaranteed by the Constitution of Bahrain in line with the far-sighted vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to promote peace and stability as a pathway to further prosperity and development, not just locally, but in the region and the world. He continued that His Majesty the King believes that ignorance is the enemy of peace and it is therefore our duty to learn, to share and to live together, by the tenets of faith in the spirit of mutual respect and love. He also underlined that in line with His Majesty’s unwavering commitment to protecting religious freedom, the Kingdom of Bahrain has taken tangible and effective measures to ensure that a culture of peace, dialogue and coexistence is fostered both domestically and regionally. The minister also affirmed that Bahrain is proud of signing the Abraham Accords on September 15, 2020, which is a declaration of peace, cooperation and constructive diplomatic relations with the State of Israel. He added that the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US Department of State’s Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism in order to promote joint cooperation and to develop and implement programmes that enhance respect, mutual appreciation and peaceful coexistence among peoples, states and various religions in the Middle East, in line with the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration. The Minister of Foreign Affairs underscored that the Kingdom of Bahrain has affirmed its commitment to ensure the protection and promotion of religious freedoms and reiterated its belief in the importance of dialogue to counter the extremist narrative so that the Kingdom remains a leader of tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the Middle East. He added that the Kingdom of Bahrain will continue its diplomatic efforts and national initiatives to promote the culture of tolerance, coexistence, and prosperity in order to promote harmony among our peoples and nations.