HM King hails national milestone

Manama, Feb. 14(BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa saluted the loyal people of Bahrain, recalling their patriotic and historic stance which reflected their will and consensus on the fundamentals of the national action charter that ushered in a new era of landmark development. "The National Action Charter represented an important start and a bright moment in the historical annals of modern Bahrain, heralding an era of freedom and human rights", he said. This came as he received– in the presence of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier - senior members of the Royal Family, who greeted HM the king on the 18th anniversary of the National Action Charter (NAC). Addressing the ceremony at Al-Sakhir Palace, HM the King stressed the crucial importance of the milestone which bolstered Bahrain’s pioneering model of human co-existence, embracing intellectual and cultural plurality. The NAC fundamentals, he said, will always serve as a major incentive for more development and progress for the sake of Bahrain, loyal people and the future of the coming generations. HM the King welcomed all well-wishers and exchanged with them congratulations on this national milestone, thanking them for their lofty patriotic feelings and good wishes. He took pride in Bahrainis’ dedication in serving the nation in all fields of national work, hailing their role in bolstering the Kingdom’s standing on all levels. "Bahrain citizens will always remain the cornerstone of national development and its ultimate aim", said HM the King. The well-wishers congratulated HM the King on the national milestone, taking pride in Bahrain’s political, economic, cultural, social and educational strides in the royal prosperous era, which ranked Bahrain an advanced standing among states. They paid tribute to HM the King, hailing royal efforts to bolster Bahrain’s relations with brotherly and friendly countries, strengthen honourable stances in international arenas and consolidate pioneering role in the Arab region and the world. They all prayed to Allah the Almighty to protect HM the King, bless him with abundant health and happiness and guide him on the path of success to continue the march of development and progress. Royal Court Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa dedicated to HM the King a poem titled "Hamad Era", which was recited by Dr. Fawaz Ahmed Al-Sheroogui. The poem also feature on the cover of a book titled "Two Prosperous Decades", which was published by the Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies "DERASAT". DERASAT Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa offered HM the King the book "Two Prosperous Decades" and an artwork on this occasion. He delivered a speech in which he presented the book which documents almost two decades of landmark strides in the prosperous era, heralding a new phase of national work, achievement, excellence and pride. He said that the book was published, following royal directives, to document achievements in national annals, preserve Bahrain’s memory, preserve the truth, debunk falsification and remain as beacon for the coming generations to build on. HM the King underlined the value of the book, commending the role played by DERASAT in conducting studies and researchers. A Bahraini Ardha show was performed on this national occasion.