MEMAC2017 opens amid high anti-terror expectations

Manama, Oct. 16 (BNA): Under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander, and in the presence of BDF Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Royal Guard Commander HH Brigadier-General Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa has inaugurated the Middle East Military Alliances and Coalitions Conference (MEMAC2017), on the sidelines of the Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference (BIDEC2017). HH Shaikh Nasser gave the following address: " Your Excellency Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defense Force, Your Highnesses, Excellencies, Distinguished guests and dear partners, Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you On behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, I have the honour to welcome you to the Kingdom of Bahrain, the homeland of peace and the crossroads of cultures, and to convey the best wishes of His Majesty to you of a pleasant stay in your second home and of outstanding success to our conference. First, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to His Majesty the King, the Supreme Commander, for his care and his lofty patronage of this remarkable international event. I am proud to chair the Bahrain International Defense Exhibition and Conference (BIDEC) in its first edition as an innovative partnership between technical development and strategic thinking in order to build capacities and skills, launch opportunities for cooperation and protect our common values and interests, foremost of which are security, progress and tolerance. We were keen to have the Middle East Military Alliances and Coalitions Conference (MEMAC) held alongside the exhibition based on our awareness of the importance of the fusion of diverse ideas and accumulated experiences, and turn them into new visions and initiatives that contribute to finding appropriate solutions to the problems and challenges facing the region and the world. Ladies and Gentlemen, It is no secret that the Middle East is witnessing an unprecedented turbulent phase that will be felt for generations to come, in light of the sectarianism, internal strife and the collapse of national institutions in a number of countries, as well as regional interference in their internal affairs, which has contributed to spreading the phenomenon of terrorism around the world. The Kingdom of Bahrain plays an active role in the military alliances such as the Arab Coalition for the Support of Legitimacy in Yemen and the Islamic Military Alliance for Combating Terrorism under the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which has assumed the leading role and is the centre for Arab and Islamic decision-making, in full solidarity and agreement on the importance of defeating terrorism and its funding, putting an end to the interference in the internal affairs of countries in the region and ensuring the security of international navigation. The Kingdom of Bahrain recognizes the influential role that coalitions play in maintaining regional security, and we are proud that Bahrain is a founding member of the Islamic Military Alliance for Combating Terrorism as an inspiring and realistic example of achievement and effectiveness and a strategic step that launched a decisive stage to prevent rogue states and terrorist groups from determining the future of our region and our world. I would like to acknowledge the leading and pivotal role played by our great sister, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and by the United Arab Emirates, in bringing peace and security to the region and confronting the forces of evil that are trying to spread chaos and extremism. This is a role in which Kingdom of Bahrain believes and seeks to achieve with our brothers with the might of right and the determination of justice. Therefore, our joint action is aware of the nature of the challenges, conscious of the reality of threats and comprehensive of the dimensions of confrontation. In this regard, His Majesty's statement expresses the strength of our alliance: "Throughout its history, Bahrain has chosen to join hands with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to preserve religion, Arabism, coexistence, tolerance, the entity and good neighbourliness." Our peace-loving and anti-terrorism countries will not tolerate anyone to seek to threaten the security of our peoples and to destabilise the region. There are no complacency with security and development and no compromise with fanaticism and extremism. On the basis of Bahrain's consistent position and effective role in the fight against terrorism, and with the continuation of irresponsible Iranian practices, we welcome the strategy announced by His Excellency Donald Trump, President of the United States of America, to address Iran's attempts to export terrorism, as this will make our region and the world more secure and more stable. Distinguished guests, On this wonderful occasion, I express my pride of being a member of the Bahrain Defense Force which represents a pioneering and advanced force of peace in the region. It possesses high-level military and operational expertise thanks to its profound commitment to constantly developing human resources and weapons capabilities in line with international standards and specifications. The Bahrain Defense Force, "the Pride and Shield of the Homeland", is a modern peace force that has proved to be a stabilizing factor. It has contributed to the consolidation of the foundations of regional security and peace by engaging actively in many honourable military and humanitarian missions, and in order to carry out our noble missions, the Bahrain Defense Force has made precious sacrifices, including the lives of its noble martyrs. Its valiant soldiers continue to carry out their sacred duty with determination and aptitudes on the fields of honour and heroism. I am pleased to praise the tireless efforts and wise vision of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander. I would also like to extend my greetings and appreciations to the Commander-in-Chief, Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, for his sincere and sustained efforts to achieve the highest levels of efficiency and readiness. We are pleased that the keynote speaker of the first session of the conference is General Rahil Sharif, the military commander of the Islamic Military Alliance to Combat Terrorism. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Information and Communications Technology revolution and shifts in the structure of the international system have given new dimensions to the concept of security, as well as to the nature of the changing interests and their associated influence and conflicts. The security of the Arabian Gulf region is one of the priorities of the international security system, given the strategic importance of the region to global energy supply and its status as a key pillar of regional stability. It is time to formulate a new regional security system that presents realistic, effective and fair mechanisms capable of strengthening the security of our countries, ensuring the sovereignty of peace and stability, protecting national capabilities and the Gulf principles, creating genuine guarantees and various options that preserve interests within a common balance and adopting political dialogue and initiatives for crises in the region as a substitute for interference in internal affairs and attempts to impose hegemony and instability. His Majesty King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa has outlined a comprehensive and clear vision for the region's security -based on the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as a strategic choice-, development integration, combating terrorism and achieving peace and prosperity for all in accordance with the aspirations of our peoples. The Kingdom of Bahrain was an ancient port of the world and is now an advanced centre for dialogue, ideas and entrepreneurship. Hosting this event, with the participation of elite military leaders, diplomats, specialists and high-level academics, is based on the latest creative ideas and strategies in the fields of security and defence. We aspire to invest in knowledge, localisation of high-quality and advanced technologies through strong and extended partnerships, alongside the consolidation of the foundations of an integrated regional security system and in the context of a vision of global security and sustainable development. I look forward with great interest to your valuable discussions, debates and recommendations during the sessions of the conference and to their deep insights and constructive contributions. In conclusion, I would like to pay tribute to all those who contributed to the high-level preparation and organisation of our conference, and wish you every success. Thank you for listening Peace, and God's mercy and blessings be upon you." Bahrain Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT)’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khaifa, Chairman of the Conference Committee and Official Spokesman of BIDEC, delivered a speech in which he expressed his gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalfa, the Supreme Commander, and appreciation of His Majesty’s consent to patronize BIDEC 2017. Shaikh Abdullah expressed pride that MEMAC 2017 is being held in the presence of a distinguished gathering of pioneers, leaders and experts in a welcoming space for constructive dialogue, pragmatic discussion, exchange of opinions, to produce valuable, intuitive visions, that will contribute to addressing existing challenges. "As we embarked on preparations for this conference, we set out that it be an important global forum, aware of its role and mission, a reflection of our common issues and concerns and a catalyst for dialogue and ideas that would rise up to the existing challenges and strengthen our values and partnership," he said. "The choice of the theme of 'military alliances' is compatible with the objectives and timing of the conference and is appropriate to the serious problems and rising crises the world is confronting, mainly terrorism which is one of the main challenges that threaten international security with the rise of radical groups, terrorist organizations and militias, and the spread of radical ideologies and the culture of religious violence. Our steadfast and lasting choice is peace and cooperation with the region and the world on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs," he said. However, regional cooperation has clashed with the practices of other parties that do not recognize human values or good neighborliness and are obstacles to a stable, prosperous and secure environment, Shaikh Abdullah added. "The destiny of our region is that it always has to confront regional and transnational security challenges. Iran's expansionist policies are contrary to the principles of international law after it made support for terrorism, the promotion of sectarianism, missile and nuclear armament, and the militia industry as the cornerstones of its strategy as a rogue state. Qatar also chose to orbit Iran, supporting terror groups and spreading chaos," he said. "Because we, the countries that fight terrorism, do not accept compromises on our principle, we have decided to take the initiative so that moderation triumphs on terrorism, we prevent the region from sliding into darkness and intolerance and we stop attempts to undermine the foundations of stability. The Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism under the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most important aspects of this move as a key pillar to achieve security and peace, counter terrorism and provide humanitarian relief. Based on a partnership we cherish and believe in, the brave Bahrain Defense Force plays a pivotal and effective role in this operational and humanitarian effort and has made precious sacrifices, including the lives of martyrs, in fulfillment of noble principles and values." Shaikh Abdullah added that the outcome and recommendations of the Conference would serve as an extension to support efforts to combat terrorism as a common enemy of humanity and contribute to a world of peace and prosperity for all. "In a high-risk and rapidly changing environment, DERASAT aims to build bridges between different viewpoints, create forums for open discussions and adopt a balanced message to promote understanding as resources that are exhausted in conflicts must be invested in prosperity and progress." He expressed the hope that the conference would be a platform offering strategic options and creative initiatives that would enhance the chances of crisis prevention and combating extremism. "This requires broad international partnerships because it is universal in nature and cannot be sustained effectively without concerted international action. The aim of this conference on countering terrorism, spreading the values of cooperation and tolerance and securing a world flourishing in peaceful co-existence is closely linked to an important event: the launching of the Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the King Hamad International Centre for Interfaith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence under HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and I join His Highness by calling for the formulation of a new regional security system that supports the sovereignty of security, peace and prosperity." On this occasion, BDF Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said: "We all take pride His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander, for his patronage of the Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference and its associated Middle East Military Alliances and Coalitions Conference, which is considered the largest and most important military gathering that will discuss the military alliances in the Middle East." The BDF Commander-in-chief said hosting the Middle East Military Alliances and Coalitions Conference in Bahrain establishes a solid foundation to highlight the importance of military alliances and their role in creating a world of peace. The forum presents the appropriate opportunity to exchange ideas, opinions and the strategic visions of the participating and to discuss regional and international security developments, he added. The BDF Commander-in-chief welcomed the conference sessions speakers, wishing them success, reasserting that this conference will win the appreciation of the attendees and participants and will be successful by all measures in view of the massive participation. The event is a platform to exchange ideas, discuss strategic visions, display various exemplary solutions to key variables and crises witnessed in our region, he added. The participation of elite military commanders and thinkers will reflect Bahrain’s effective role in combating all forms of terrorism and will consolidate the strategic relations