Speaking as he met with a Bahraini parliamentary delegation, currently on a visit to the USA, J. Sessions said that the USA is concerned the exploitation of the recent events in the kingdom in order to divide the region, noting the region’s relations with the USA will be affected because of that. Senator J. Sessions also called upon the concerned sides in the kingdom to join the National Consensus Dialogue table as the best platform to create an economically-strong “democratic Kingdom” that can be the basis and nucleus of regional stability.
The Senator also called for the need to separate religious beliefs from politics in order to cement national unity, urging all Bahraini citizens to adhere to national interests and be proud of their country whose reforms, the most democratically advanced in the region, should be protected. However, “the democratic model must come from within and not dictated by foreign sides,” he also said, rejecting attempts to interfere in the Kingdom’s domestic affairs.
Head of the delegation Chairman of the Shura Council’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Dr. Salah Ali said that Bahrain has a successful record of reforms anchored by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa since his Accession to the throne in 1999 and the massively adopted National Action Charter, reflecting the wise leadership’s keenness to allow citizens’ participate in the decision-making process.
He also stressed that those reforms benefitted all citizens, without discriminations, and developed everything in the kingdom. The two sides also indicated that more reforms can be attained only through participation in the forthcoming National Consensus Dialogue in which all groups have to express their visions.
Members of the delegation also told the US Senator that the Peninsula Shield forces were deployed in the kingdom in accordance with the GCC defence agreements because of the recurrent blatant interference of a neighbouring country in Bahrain’s internal affairs, which resulted in those regretful incidents that undermined security, stability and civic peace and crippled economy. They also said that Bahraini are committed to peaceful means of expressions, expressing strong rejection of the attempts made by some groups to destabilize the kingdom and its peaceful and tolerant society. Bahraini-US ties of friendship and cooperation, as well as regional and global developments af mutual concern were also reviewed.