Manama : Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Foreign Affairs Minister, Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee, has lauded His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s enlightened vision in spreading the culture of peace and tolerance, as well as political and civilisational dialogue, in addition to deepening human solidarity for the sake of establishing secure, pacifist and sustainable human communities.
The Foreign Affairs Minister expressed pride in the world’s celebration of the International Day of Conscience, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in its Resolution 73/329 of 2019 in response to the initiative of the late His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, in recognition of the importance of peaceful coexistence among nations, peoples and civilisations, rejection of division and hatred, as well as giving priority to dialogue and human conscience in settling disputes and preventing their outbreak.
Dr. Al Zayani praised the kingdom’s wide-ranging pioneering achievements under HM the King’s reformist and diplomatic approach, and the policies adopted by the government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to consolidate the principles of freedom, justice, democracy and respect for human rights, in addition to supporting sustainable development, consolidating international partnership in achieving just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East and the entire world, as well as ensuring an end to all wars and conflicts through dialogue and negotiations.
In this regard, the minister reiterated the Kingdom’s firm stance calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, expanding the unimpeded flow of humanitarian, relief and medical aid to civilians, enhancing their protection in the entire Strip, and rejecting their forced displacement from their lands, based on commitment to the principles of international law and international humanitarian law.
He also affirmed the kingdom’s call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in putting an end to the current catastrophic humanitarian situation and reviving the peace process by granting the Palestinian people their legitimate rights to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the two-state solution, the Arab Peace Initiative, and international legitimacy resolutions.
Dr. Al Zayani stressed that the International Day of Conscience is one of the kingdom’s pioneering initiatives, led by HM the King, to spread the culture of peaceful coexistence at the regional and global levels, citing the launch of the ‘Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration’ to promote religious tolerance and freedoms, the establishment of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, and the launch of the King Hamad Chair for Inter-faith Dialogue and Peaceful Co-existence at the University of Sapienza in Italy, in addition to the humanitarian efforts of the Royal Humanitarian Foundation, and His Majesty’s call for adopting an international agreement to criminalise religious, sectarian, and racist hate speech.
The minister also highlighted the kingdom’s hosting of international conferences to foster inter-cultural dialogue, understanding and love among the followers of various religions, sects and cultures, citing the “Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence”, held during the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb, Shaikh of Al Azhar Al Sharif, to Bahrain.
He also shed light on the launch of the “King Hamad Award for Peaceful Coexistence” and other global awards aimed at empowering women and youth, as well as serving humanity.
He also said that the kingdom is looking forward to hosting the 33rd Arab Summit in May, in line with its keenness to bolster joint Arab action and meet the aspirations of the Arab Nation for security and peace.
The Foreign Affairs Minister underlined Bahrain’s steadfast resolve to continue adhering to its deep-rooted human and civilisational values, as well as its diplomatic principles in establishing a culture of peace, solidarity and harmony, in addition to its efforts to enhance international cooperation on the bases of friendship, mutual respect, non-interference in the affairs of other countries, rejection of violence and extremism, and settlement of disputes by peaceful means.
He also emphasised the kingdom’s respect for human rights to security, peace and sustainable development, as well as its keenness to promote them in accordance with the National Human Rights Plan (2022-2026) and international conventions.
