Foreign minister takes part in Iraq Reconstruction Conference

Kuwait, Feb. 14 (BNA): Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has continuously supported the Republic of Iraq in its fight against the terrorist organisation of Daesh in building the new Iraq and in the international recognition of the Republic of Iraq.  He also stressed the continuation of the Kingdom's support for all measures aimed at reinforcing Iraq's security and stability and preserving its sovereignty and independence.  During his participation in the Kuwait International Conference for Reconstruction of Iraq, the Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his appreciation to the Amir of Kuwait, His Highness Shaikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for extending an invitation to him to participate, and for his initiative to host the conference. He noted that this is not new to HH the Amir, nor to the State of Kuwait, which hosted several conferences of donors and provided support to Arab countries, expressing hope that the conference will succeed in achieving positive results. The Minister of Foreign Affairs pointed out that the Kingdom of Bahrain has been keen to contribute to empowering the Iraqi government to build the capacity of its institutions through providing the necessary facilities in the Kingdom of Bahrain to train and qualify 4,000 Iraqi civil defence cadres.  Bahrain has also provided training for Iraqi health technicians in the Public Health Laboratory and accepted Iraqi technicians to study and train in the field of medical devices in the Kingdom, he added. The Minister stated that the Kingdom of Bahrain has participated actively since the first day of the formation of the Global Coalition to Fight Daesh and was the place from which the first strike planes of the coalition against Deash were launched. He added that it also played a prominent role in combating the financing of Daesh and held several international conferences to combat the financing of terrorism. Shaikh Khalid stressed that the reconstruction process is not easy, it requires a comprehensive strategy, foremost of which is the diversity of sources of funding, the active participation of the private sector and the important role of civil society organizations, especially in the process of rebuilding confidence and assisting in the return of all IDPs and displaced persons, and the international financial institutions should play an important role as partners in the reconstruction of Iraq.