Assistant Foreign Minister meets with Ambassadors, Representatives of friendly countries accredited to the United Nations in Geneva

Geneva, Sept. 22 (BNA): On the sidelines of his participation in the 39th session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations Office in Geneva, and his meetings with Ambassadors, Representatives of friendly countries accredited to the United Nations, the Assistant Foreign Minister, Abdullah bin Faisal bin Jabur al-Doseri stressed the excellence of the democratic experience of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the broad popular participation in the national elections which came as one of the results to the reform approach of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa that established the foundations of civil and political rights, as well as modern democracy, the democratic practice with the participation of all sects of the society, and allowing women to run and vote in the elections and giving them endless support which helped them to progress and succeed in all fields. He also stressed the success of the parliamentary elections and practices that happened during the years 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and hopefully the ones that will follow them; the municipal and parliamentary elections that will take place during November this year. He also praised the scale of political and constitutional reforms that have been achieved and have led to legislative amendments, important institutional developments, the best practices and the latest international human rights standards, namely the protection of human rights in public life, as well as all freedoms, personal safety, physical and moral integrity, equality of rights and human dignity, without any discrimination on grounds of sex, origin, language, religion or creed under the rule of law, constitutional institutions and the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. The Assistant Foreign Minister met with the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan, Ambassador Jamshed Khamidov, the Permanent Representative of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Ambassador Ulugbek Lapasov, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus, Ambassador Yury Ambrazevich, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Serbia, Ambassador Dejan Zlatanovic, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ambassador Vakif Sadikov, the Permanent Representative of Malaysia, Amran Mohamed Zin, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico, Raul Heredita, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ambassador Deyana Kostadinova, the Permanent Representative of Hungary, Ambassador Zsuzsanna Horvath, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland, Zbigniew Czech, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia, Ambassador Vesna Batistic Kos, the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Spain, Ambassador Cristobal Gonzalez-Aller Jurado, and the Permanent Representative of Brunei Darussalam, Ambassador Dato’ Mahdi Rahman. The Assistant Foreign Minister praised the distinguished and growing relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and these countries, stressing the keenness to bolster these relations and push them towards wider horizons to achieve the common interests of the Kingdom of Bahrain and those countries. During these meetings, the Assistant Foreign Minister reviewed Bahrain's advanced record in the field of human rights protection and promotion, its unprecedented achievements, and the appreciation it received from a number of countries, research centers, and international organizations regarding the Kingdom's prestigious status at the national, regional and international levels, under the Kingdom’s advanced, administrative and comprehensive constitutional and legal system, stemming from the religious and civilization values established throughout history, and in accordance with the standards of universal human rights. He also expressed the Kingdom’s keenness to promote human rights awareness, tolerance, and moderation through all media and educational curricula, as well as promoting legal awareness towards international human rights instruments and strengthening partnership with civil society and non-governmental organizations in the promotion and protection of human rights. He also affirmed that the freedom of opinion and expression are guaranteed in the Constitution and national legislation without restrictions, except the professional and ethical controls provided for in the Constitution and the law, and the local and international press and media conventions, that could provoke sectarianism, religious, ethnic or doctrinal hatred, threaten national security or public order, infringe the rights of others and their reputation, dignity, violate public morals, or violate of human rights principles. A number of issues and issues of mutual interest were also discussed, including coordination and cooperation in the promotion and development of human rights at the level of bilateral and multilateral relations. (MOFA)