Shura Council's Second Deputy Chairperson calls for strengthening GCC-Euro-Mediterranean cooperation
Rabat, Mar. 1 (BNA): Second Deputy Chairperson of the Shura Council, Dr. Jihad Abdulla Al-Fadhel, has called for adopting a proposal to agree on the bases of a free trade agreement (FTA) between the Arabian Gulf states and the Euro-Mediterranean countries, stressing the great positive impact of the agreement on all countries, in light of the ongoing consultations to sign similar agreements with the United Kingdom and India.
Dr. Al-Fadhel made the statements while participating in the 7th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), held here on March 1-2.
Addressing the opening session, which was devoted to the speakers of parliaments, and dealt with issues of immigration, security, terrorism, organised crime and trafficking in persons, geopolitical and security developments in the region, the financial and economic crisis, artificial intelligence, water security and the protection of the marine environment, that security and economic stability is the key to political progress, Dr. Al-Fadhel stressed that security and economic stability are the key for political progress, calling for a high-level parliamentary endorsement of the proposal to reach an FTA between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Euro-Mediterranean countries.
In this regard, she highlighted the growing awareness of the importance of building and expanding parliamentary and political alliances to serve the strategic interests of countries, referring to the keenness of the GCC countries, in general, and Bahrain, in particular, to cooperate with the Mediterranean countries in areas related to consolidating security and peace, combating extremism and terrorism, supporting sustainable development and digital transformation, and ensuring energy security.
She indicated that the Kingdom has made tremendous efforts within accelerated initiatives to strengthen the national system with modern legislation and that keep pace with security, geopolitical, economic changes and developments, as well as food security and environmental protection, in a way that provides the correct and exemplary rules that enable the Kingdom to work internally and cooperate externally, through parliamentary diplomacy, agreements and joint action at all levels to achieve the desired goals, according to a unified national vision in which the legislative and executive branches join hands in response to and implementation of the visions and directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
She commended the prominent efforts made by parliamentarians to serve common interests and issues.
She called on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean to adopt parliamentary partnerships related to current issues, such as economy and food security, especially with the presence of some disturbing challenges, foremost of which is the issue of climate change, which affects the Euro-Mediterranean countries more, as this challenge can be addressed through GCC-Euro-Mediterranean economic partnerships, by taking advantage of modern environmentally friendly technologies, as well as joint work to crystallise a unified vision that guarantees the fulfillment of global food security requirements and the continuity of food supply chains, to face the consequences of international food security risks, whose challenges have been exacerbated by recent circumstances.
The Shura Council's Second Deputy Chairperson urged concerted efforts to address the current global economic challenges, by strengthening the role of parliamentary diplomacy and building effective economic partnerships, so that parliaments have a supportive role for the efforts of governments in strengthening the GCC-Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
