Bahrain embassy to UK hosts "Abraham Accords: Shaping the Future of the Middle East" webinar

London, Dec. 3 (BNA): Bahrain's embassy to the United Kingdom has hosted a webinar, "The Abraham Accords: Shaping the Future of the Middle East", to focus on the latest regional developments and arrangements. The webinar, organized by Bahrain's Ambassador to the UK Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, brought together Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, former ambassador to the UK, Alistair Burt, former Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa Affairs, Con Coughlin, Head of Defense and Security Affairs at the Telegraph newspaper. It was attended by several diplomats, politicians, and researchers from the UK and other countries. In his opening remarks, Shaikh Fawaz welcomed the participants to the webinar to analyse and discuss the Abraham Accords and their profound implications for the future of the Middle East and the region's interaction with the wider world. The ambassador touched on the prospects for close cooperation between Bahrain and Israel and among the countries of the region in general. He stressed the endeavors to accelerate economic, commercial, scientific cooperation and other aspects that achieve concrete convergence between the peoples of the region in the pursuit of security and prosperity. Shaikh Abdulaziz noted that Bahrain has always been an advocate for peace in the region that is based on economic development and prosperity for all. He added that the cultural diversity that characterizes Bahrain, including openness on others, tolerance and peace, is fully supported by the Bahraini society and reflects the Kingdom's enduring approach to tolerance and peace. The declaration to support peace is a great opportunity for a just and comprehensive peace in the region, and there is hope the opportunity will be seized by all parties while the solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is through a permanent and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people. This solution has always been, and remains, Bahrain's position to the Middle East peace process, he added. Burt referred to the aspiration of the peoples of the region and the world at large for a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. He praised the values of tolerance and peace pursued by Bahrain in its political approach and stressed that the United Kingdom has welcomed the declaration that he considered supportive of the two-state solution through a true vision and the will of everyone towards this direction. Burt expressed hope that the international community will support the efforts aimed at reaching a lasting peace. Coughlin pointed out that the peace process in the region has been subjected to several obstacles in recent decades, after a great and optimistic start following the 1993 Oslo Accords. The situation is now completely different and the awareness of the peoples of the region has changed positively, amid aspirations for a lasting peace, he said. Houda Nonoo, Bahrain's former Ambassador to the US, indicated in a comment during the webinar that peace between Bahrain and Israel is just the beginning of economic, commercial and cultural cooperation at all levels. There are several visits, including by Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani to Israel during which memoranda of understanding on bilateral cooperation were signed, she added. Betsy B Mathieson, Deputy Chairperson of King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, said in her comments that Bahrain's leadership and people are always open to other religions and cultures. Based on such convictions, HM the King has affirmed these values and has called for building bridges of trust and understanding between all cultures and religions, she added. Fine examples of such bridges are the establishment of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence and the 2017 the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration that seeks to promote peace, tolerance and coexistence in Bahrain and well beyond it across the world, she said.