His Royal Highness the Crown Prince outlined the significant strides in reform undertaken by the Kingdom of Bahrain over the past decade, under His Majesty King Hamad’s leadership, and reasserted the country’s commitment to continued reform in line with the principles of the 2001 National Action Charter.
He said that the ongoing reform process was aimed directly at enhancing state institutions to improve government services, promote individual rights, and enhance accountability, equality and transparency.
On dialogue, HRH the Crown Prince said that a comprehensive process has been initiated to inform democratic development aimed at achieving a genuine consensus across all sections of society. However, he cautioned that rejection of dialogue and continued active or tacit support to acts of violence will not hasten change, but will only undermine reform and thwart progress. He restated his call for all concerned parties to unequivocally condemn violence.
HRH the Crown Prince thanked the United States for its continued support and friendship, and welcomed the USA’s further contribution to Bahrain’s on-going reform process.
President Obama reaffirmed the importance of the United States’ partnership with Bahrain and its commitment to further strengthening of bilateral relations. He congratulated HRH the Crown Prince on his appointment as First Deputy Prime Minister and expressed the full support of the United States to the Kingdom of Bahrain for its program of reform. President Obama added the firm support of the United States for the National Dialogue, launched by HM King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, and noted that the United States continues to encourage all sides to engage constructively in order to achieve progress. The President commended the Crown Prince’s commitment to advancing reform in Bahrain, and underscored that the United States will continue to support these efforts.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and President Obama also discussed ways to enhance the longstanding strategic ties between Bahrain and the United States, and went on to discuss steps to further peace and stability in the wider region.