H.E. the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Bahrain’s foreign policy is founded on peace, the protection of human rights, and sustainable development
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani gave a press briefing to a number of journalists and columnists, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The briefing was organised by the National Communication Centre.
During the briefing, H.E. stressed that the foreign policy of the Kingdom of Bahrain is a balanced one, that takes into account the strategic interests of the Kingdom and strives towards achieving the security, stability and prosperity of the region. H.E. noted that this policy is based on principles that uphold the interests of the Kingdom, and preserve its position at various levels, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and supported by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
His Excellency underlined that among the important principles of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s foreign policy is compliance to, and respect for, the Kingdom’s laws, and international treaties and charters,in addition to building friendly relations that serve common interests with countries of the world, mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs, resolving disputes by peaceful means, and ensuring that security and stability are enjoyed by all..
Speaking about the Prime Minister’s Journalism Award, H.E. the Minister highlighted that the reward is an affirmation of the status of the national press and the appreciation it enjoys, particularly given that the press has a major role in delivering information in a professional manner. H.E. welcomed the contributions of the various media and press outlets during the global COVID-19 pandemic, stressing the important role they played in providing useful information and raising awareness throughout these exceptional global circumstances.
Turning to Bahrain’s national values, H.E. explained that such values are present in Bahrain’s politics and are based uponthe principles of coexistence, acceptance of others, mutual respect, tolerance, dialogue, and harmony between religions, which are well-established values in Bahraini society. He noted that the foreign policy of the Kingdom is based on several basic pillars that the Ministry is committed to consolidating, foremost amongst which is laying the foundations for global peace, security, and stability, strengthening the protection of human rights, achieving sustainable development goals, and providing comprehensive environmental protection.
Regarding efforts to establish peace, H.E. the Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke about the importance of cooperation and joint efforts to ensure peace in the region. H.E. underlined that the desired peace in the Middle East is based on several pillars, primarily: a solution to the Palestinian issue, stressing the firm position of the Kingdom of Bahrain in this regard, calling for its solution to be based on the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative and in accordance with the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy.
H.E. pointed out that the position of the Kingdom of Bahrain regarding addressing the danger of the Iranian nuclear file is clear and well-known, as Bahrain wants a safe region where peace and stability are ensured and where everyone from different races and beliefs coexist, in addition to the region being free of weapons of mass destruction, noting that the Kingdom is closely following the Vienna talks.
His Excellency called for the need to address Iran’s destabilizing practices in the region and its sponsorship and support for terrorism and militias, calling for an end to its ballistic missile program, and to work to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons, stressing the importance of the safety of the Iranian nuclear program in accordance with international standards and the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in order to achieve a secure and stable Middle East where stability and development prevail in all countries, including Iran.
The Minister underlined that the unity of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf constitutes another pillar of achieving regional peace, adding that Bahrain’s position in this regard is consistent, stressing that the Al-Ula Declaration includes a number of commitments, including not violating the sovereignty of any of the countries, or threatening or targeting national cohesion in any way, and the countries’ firm opposition to everything that disturbs national and regional security, intensifying media coordination, and holding bilateral meetings to deal with the causes that led to the crisis between Qatar and each country separately, provided that the bilateral committees meet within two weeks of signing the declaration. H.E. noted in this regard that the Kingdom of Bahrain sent two invitations to Qatar to send a delegation to the Kingdom of Bahrain, but Qatar did not respond.
H.E. stressed that human rights receive great attention from His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, as this was demonstrated recently through the qualitative and proactive measures taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to ensure the health and safety of its citizens and residents alike. H.E. added that such measures included free testing and treatment for all citizens and residents, in addition to providing free vaccination to all citizens and residents without any discrimination, noting that these directives included citizens residing abroad as well who started receiving vaccinations through coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health.
He also underscored that the Cabinet had recently approved the signing of a declaration of intent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Kingdom of Bahrain to provide technical support in the field of preparing the national human rights plan, which aims to enhance capacity-building and national expertise in the field of human rights.
He explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing its efforts to prepare the national action plan for human rights, as the Ministry had initiated the organization of nine workshops within broad consultations with partners, stakeholders, the private sector, and civil society, with the aim of discussing and reflecting on the national action plan on human rights. His Excellency stated that the workshops saw the participation of 1785 participants, and the submission of a total of 168 working papers, resulting in 311 recommendations.
Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani went on to affirm that the Kingdom of Bahrain’s achievement in maintaining its position as a Tier 1 country in combating trafficking in persons in the annual report issued by the US State Department, for the fourth year in a row, is one of the results of the directives of His Majesty the King and his keenness to establish equality and promote human rights for all citizens and residents of the Kingdom without any discrimination.
He added that achieving sustainable development is among the priorities of Bahrain’s foreign policy, noting a number of the Ministry’s development initiatives and projects, such as restructuring the Ministry, and working on the continuous training of Bahraini diplomats, praising in this regard the efforts made by the Mohammed bin Mubarak Academy for Diplomatic Studies through launching several programs that enhance Bahrain’s voice in various external forums, pointing out that one of the outcomes of these programs has been the launch of the Parliamentary Diplomacy Diploma, with parliamentary diplomacy supporting our official diplomacy, which will undoubtedly further strengthen Bahrain’s strategic relations with brotherly and friendly countries
H.E. Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, H.E. Yousif Mohammed Albinkhalil, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Communication Centre (NCC), H.E. Tawfeeq Ahmed Al Mansoor the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Consular & Administrative Affairs, , and a number of editor-in-chiefs of local newspapers attended the briefing.
