On the evening of Saturday 3 December, delegation leaders were invited to attend a reception with the King of Bahrain, His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa. After welcoming the guests, His Majesty read a brief statement before those attending engaged in conversation with the King. Following on from this reception, delegation leaders were then received by His Highness Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince or Bahrain and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force.
Translation
Statement by His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa
To the Second Gulf Security Conference
“Gulf Dialogue”
In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate,
May the Peace and Grace of Allah be upon you all,
I welcome you all to the Kingdom of Bahrain, land of peaceful coexistence, tolerance and free thought since the Dilmun civilization participated in the common heritage of humanity’s progress.
Today, for the world to be free, it should be a secure and stable world. Terrorism threatens freedom as it threatens life itself.
It is well known that prevention is better than cure. If information sharing through meaningful dialogue is an important part in preventing terrorism, Bahrain’s goal for your continued meetings, then dealing with the root causes of terrorism in relevant environments through scientific methods, which wise politics should not ignore in our world, is of the same importance.
Science provides valuable opportunities for the future of the human being. It should be used for peaceful purposes, for example using the atom for civilian purposes which hold hope for the future of the world through its application to medicine and energy research within international regulations that prevent its exploitation for destructive military purposes, which have become a cause of concern for all in this vital region of the world.
Distances between countries have become much closer. For example, the Mediterranean is no longer the topographic feature we all know. The European and Arab continents, to the Gulf, are today more closely interconnected in civilisation and security. It is incumbent on us to draft a renewed framework for this shared great expanse where Europe, through Turkey, would have shared boundaries with the Arab and Islamic worlds.
The same applies to the NATO Istanbul Initiative on optional cooperation with the Gulf states, which can support and complement this large-scale strategic vision that must be undertaken at this moment on the common agreement on the stability and unity of Iraq.
A united and secure Iraq can be the launch pad for reaching a common understanding with its neighbours and the entire international community on reconstruction of the region, which has been burdened by continued wars.
Such comprehensive stability in the region is the best way to ensure the supply of energy to the whole world through agreed rates between producers and consumers. We are confident that all of us are eager to cooperate in order to achieve this goal for the benefit of the world economy and the prosperity of its peoples.
We reiterate our welcome and thanks to you all for attending and participating, and at the same time we underline Bahrain’s continued cooperation with you in achieving these noble aims for all humanity.
Peace and Grace of Allah be upon you all
