Information minister affirms strong ties with Egypt

Cairo, Apr. 29 (BNA): Information Affairs Minister Ali bin Mohammed Al-Rumaihi said that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s visit to Egypt, at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, affirms anew Bahrain’s interest in strengthening its long-standing relations with this brotherly country. In an interview with the Cairo-based "Al-Akhbar" newspaper, the minister stressed that HM the King’s visit, the fifth and the first official one since 2013, and the size of the accompanying official delegation, which comprises representatives of newspapers and over 40 businessmen, show that it is a great visit that is not only meant for signing memoranda of understanding. The royal visit reflects the advanced level of the deep-rooted Bahraini-Egyptian relations, and confirms that Bahrain and Egypt are one country with similar stances, he said, adding that Egypt has always stood by Arab countries, citing its support to the Saudi-led Arab Coalition and the Islamic Alliance to Counter Terrorism. Al-Rumailhi went on to say that the recent visits of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Abdu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the current visit of HM King Hamad reflect GCC countries’ keenness to support Egypt’s leading role in the region and ensure its political and economic success. The minister also pointed out that the visits of GCC leaders to Egypt and the GCC-Moroccan Summit in Riyadh convey a message to regional and international parties that Arab countries have a common destiny and that attempt to sow divide among them will fail. Responding to a question on whether Arab countries have proved their ability to deal with the challenges, the minister stressed that recent tangible and practical steps prove that inter-Arab cooperation is on the right track and that attempts to cast doubt on Arabs’ ability to tackle challenges are baseless. Commenting on the situation of Arab media discourse, Al-Rumaihi said that the Arab Information Ministers’ meeting next month will focus on ways to step up joint Arab action through unifying media discourse given the fact that Arab countries share the same goals and face the same threats. On the exchange of expertise between Cairo and Manama in facing terrorism thanks to Bahrain’s experience in this regard, the minister affirmed that terrorism has spread across the region due to the misuse of mass media and easy access to youngsters to exploit their conditions and recruit them to join terror groups that seek to destroy their countries. He stressed the need to focus on protecting youth against destructive ideology caused by mainly by foreign interference, especially from Iran, and instill in them the concepts of belonging to the nation and Arab identity. "I think we have managed to overcome dangers in the current phase, although interference still continues Terrorism is not a person that you are fighting; it is an ideology that have to be confronted," he said. Replying to a question on ways to discuss an integrated vision to reach normal relation between the Arab region and Iran, the minister said that normal and good relations between two parties require the goodwill of each of them. "Bahrain respects its neighbours, and rejects interference in the policies of other countries, but Iran interferes continuously in its affairs, and we have enough evidence that prove its interference in Bahrain’s affairs. In 2013, we labeled Hizbollah as a terrorist organisation because of Iran’s stances, and recently Arab Interior Ministers and GCC countries have done the same, so there is a common conviction that Iran’s interference still continue and must stop," he said. Regarding Bahrain’s ways of dealing with the scarcity of resources amid the current economic crisis, Al-Rumaihi affirmed that the kingdom had launched the Economic Vision, 2030 many years ago in a bid to be prepared for the post-oil period, and that the Economic Development Board (EDB) is trying to create new sources of income. On Bahrain’s success in cementing its national unity despite its unique demographic aspects, the minister said that in spite of the recurrent external interference and smear media campaigns seeking to undermine national unity and labeling Bahrainis by their religion or sect, the kingdom has succeeded, thanks to the wisdom of its leadership, in consolidating the national Bahraini identity and national unity. Commenting on the Arab-Iranian relations during the post-Iranian Revolution, Al-Rumaihi stressed that the concepts of sectarian discrimination had never existed before 1979, noting that the results of the attempts to fragment the region through these sectarian concepts are clear in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, and that attempts to hijack Yemen has failed thanks to the Saudi-led Operation Decisive Storm. He added that Iran continues its media campaigns through non-from satellite channels, highlighting the Nile Sat’s decision to suspend many sectarian channels since 2011. The minister affirmed that the actions taken recently by the Arab countries, such as the Operation Decisive Storm and others, prove that the Arab region is in good hands in light of the rapprochement between leaders and peoples, the collective rejection of foreign interference and the need attempts to promote destructive ideologies.