Bahrain – EU ties hailed

Brussels, Feb.24 (BNA): The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Internat Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, held meetings with officials of the European External Action Service in the Belgian capital of Brussels, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Belgium, Bahiya Al-Jishi and the Director of European Affairs and European Union Directorate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shaikha Aysha bint Ahmed Al Khalifa. During his meeting with the Acting Director of the Department of Middle East and North Africa Affairs of the European External Action Service, Ambassador Colin Scicluna, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah expressed his pride and appreciation for the friendly relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the European Union, and reviewed ways to further enhance these relations to serve common interests. The Undersecretary stressed the importance of cooperation and understanding between the Kingdom and the European Union in the field of human rights, stressing the Kingdom of Bahrain's firm commitment to the protection of human rights. He highlighted the Kingdom's pioneering achievements in respecting fundamental freedoms, justice and the rule of law, according to the principles of the National Action Charter and the provisions of the Constitution. The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs stressed that the European Union's issuance of statements that do not reflect the reality of the internal affairs of the Kingdom as well as individual cases is unacceptable and that it negatively affects bilateral relations. He stressed that the Kingdom is a state of law and institutions and its constitution grants all rights and guarantees. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah also discussed the decision to include the Kingdom of Bahrain in the European list of non-cooperative parties in tax matters. He expressed the Kingdom's dissatisfaction with this decision due to the international recognition of the transparency of the Kingdom’s financial systems. He affirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to achieve financial transparency in line with international standards, highlighting the Kingdom’s signing of the Organization for Economic Cooperation’s Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters and the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Financial Information in Tax Matters. He added that the Kingdom has begun to ratify the two agreements in accordance with the applicable legislative procedures, calling on the European Union to correct this unjustified procedure in the near future. For his part, Ambassador Colin Scicluna praised the constructive cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the European Union in various fields, stressing that strengthening this cooperation will improve the level of bilateral work, noting the Kingdom's great efforts in achieving international peace and security in the region and the world. The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs also met with the Chairman of the Political and Security Committee of the Council of the European Union, Ambassador Walter Stevens, where they discussed security challenges in the Middle East, including Iranian and Qatari interventions in the internal affairs of the countries of the region which destabilize security and stability and spread terrorism. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah stressed that the Kingdom of Bahrain is exerting continuous efforts for the stability of the Middle East, adding that this goal requires the work of all parties to ensure respect for the principles of good relations between countries, which include principles of good neighborliness, non-interference in internal affairs and adherence to international treaties and conventions. He also reviewed the achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, in establishing the rule of law and institutions and achieving stability, sustainable development and prosperity through the comprehensive reform project. For his part, Ambassador Stevens expressed the concern of the Political and Security Committee about Iranian activities in the Middle East, in addition to Iran's ballistic missile program, praising the existing cooperation with the Kingdom of Bahrain as a responsible state in the Middle East.