His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa received in Gudhaibiya Palace, who in presence of the Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, His Royal Highness Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the heads of the delegations participating in the 8th Manama Dialogue Forum, said that Bahrain would continue to support dialogues at all levels.
“As we all know, the Middle East in general, and the Arabian Gulf in particular, are not short of security challenges. And yet, through the years, we have found ways to work alongside our valued allies to tackle and overcome these challenges, and to achieve our common goals of security, stability and development.
The three-day Forum is being held in Manama and organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry, which concludes on Sunday.
His Majesty welcomed the heads of the delegates at the 8th Session of Manama Dialogue, a forum which over the years has evolved into a key venue for the high-level exchange of views on current regional security challenges.
As ever, HM King said, we greatly appreciate the role of the IISS and Dr. Chipman in facilitating this meeting, as indeed we appreciate the presence of so many senior security and foreign affairs officials.
“Since its foundation as an independent Kingdom in 1783, Bahrain has consistently shown that it stands ready to play its part in ensuring the security of the region and the Arabian Gulf, and to contribute effectively to the maintenance of international security and development. “It goes back to the signing of the General Treaty of Peace with Great Britain in 1820 to this present day.
“In recent times, Bahrain has continued to be deeply and actively involved in regional security efforts, and fully engaged in addressing both current and prospective threats such as terrorism, piracy, the disruption of trade, and the potential spread of weapons of mass destruction. As ever, we have done so in cooperation with our partners in the GCC and our allies in NATO and beyond.
“Meanwhile, with our GCC partners, we have sought to strengthen our collective defence capabilities – both in order to deter and confront potential security threats.
“We will continue to develop our defence cooperation, through joint exercises and further improved interoperability. As Bahrain furthers its efforts in ensuring regional security, a central pillar of our foreign and domestic policy is our keenness to reach out to all, whether domestically or internationally, in an effort to find common ground and to work together to achieve our shared goals. This open door approach is engrained in our unique history and culture, and will continue to guide our thinking for decades to come.
“We recognize, at a fundamental level, the central importance of communication, dialogue and discussion both in resolving issues and in deepening the sort of understanding that can prevent such issues from arising or escalating.
“It is in this spirit that the Kingdom of Bahrain welcomes you to “Manama Dialogue 2012,” in the hope and confidence that your discussions in the coming days will not only enrich understanding on all sides, but will also contributes to a safer, more stable and more secure Arabian Gulf,” HM King concluded.