60th anniversary of European integration celebrated
Manama : The Embassy of Italy and the United Nations in Bahrain celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome on Tuesday. The event was held in cooperation with the EU delegation in Riyadh, in the framework of a worldwide calendar of events promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Government officials, ambassadors from more than 15 countries, entrepreneurs, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and representatives of the media, attended the function held at UN House in Hoora.
The foundations for the Europe that we know today were laid Sixty years ago in Rome, ushering in the longest period of peace in written history in Europe.
The Treaties of Rome - signed on March 25, 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany - established a common market where people, goods, services and capital can move freely and created the conditions for prosperity and stability for European citizens.
While the immediate objectives of the Treaties of Rome were to integrate trade and strengthen European economies, one of the underlying political desires of the Treaty was to ‘lay the foundations of an ever-closer union among the people of Europe’.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Amin El Sharkawi, gave welcome remarks to the public, emphasizing the alignment between the principles behind European integration and those that underlie the United Nations Charter.
“The Rome Treaties and the United Nations were formed under the same principles: to secure peace, stability, and rule of law leading to the development and prosperity of the countries and its people,” stated the UN Coordinator.
For 60 years an enlarged Europe has built a Union that promotes peaceful cooperation, respect of human dignity, liberty, democracy, equality and solidarity, making the European Union is a living example of successful regional integration, one that managed to put aside rivalries to forge a common path towards peace, stability, with inclusion, improved livelihoods and economic and social prosperity.
“On this anniversary, Europe looks back with pride and looks forward with hope, aware of challenges ahead – from economic crisis to international instability – and of the need to further strengthen the European path to address them,” said Domenico Bellato, Ambassador of Italy in Bahrain.
In the Kingdom of Bahrain, we are fortunate enough to have excellent relations with the EU and all its members, and we are in no doubt of the value of the European project in spreading peace, prosperity and development,” said Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary for International Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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