‘Global peace, a collective goal’

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, has stressed that providing a secure and stable environment in light of challenges and dangers facing the region and achieving peace and prosperity is a collective responsibility. This came as the minister took part, on behalf of His Majesty the King, in the Fifth Summit on Confidence Building Measures in Asia, held yesterday in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan.

In his speech, Shaikh Khalid expressed Bahrain’s appreciation of efforts and the varied plans and proposals put forward by member-states to build confidence and face all challenges and threats. The Kingdom recognizes the summit’s important role in promoting exchanges among the individuals and welcomes its efforts to establish the business and youth councils to involve all sectors of society in the process of co-operation for full achievement of the United Nations 2030 sustainable Development Plan, he said.

This, he continued, requires common visions and mutual understandings, based on principles of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.

In this regard, he spoke of the attempts to destabilize brotherly countries such as the Republic of Yemen, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Lebanese Republic and the Republic of Iraq and the occupation of land and islands in the region.

He cited, in particular, the occupation of the Palestinian territories and the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa islands of the United Arab Emirates, calling for effective cooperation and coordination to address issues and acts that undermine peaceful coexistence and well-being of the peoples through extremism and terrorism.