Interior Minister attends Arab Interior Ministers meeting
Tunis, Feb. 27 (BNA): The Tunisian President, Kais Saied, received on Monday at the Presidential Palace in Carthage, Arab Interior Ministers participating in the 41st session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council.
He welcomed the Arab Interior Ministers, highlighting the significance of reinforcing Arab security cooperation.
General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Interior Minister, led Bahrain’s delegation in the meeting, which was chaired by Qatari Minister of State for Interior Affairs, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Faisal bin Mohammed Al-Thani, who took over the presidency of the session from Palestinian Interior Minister Major-General Ziad Hab Al Rih.
The session was inaugurated by Tunisian Interior Minister, Kamal Feki. This was followed by a speech delivered by Saudi Interior Minister His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Saudi bin Naif Al Saud, the Honourary President of the Arab Interior Minister Council, and a speech by the Secretary-General of the Arab Interior Minister Council, Dr Mohammad Bin Ali Kuman.
General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa delivered the speech of the Kingdom of Bahrain in which he thanked the Tunisian President for his patronage of the meeting. He also thanked the Palestinian Interior Minister for his efforts while chairing the council’s previous session, and I would also like to thank my brother, Dr. Kuman and the General Secretariat for their efforts in organising the meeting.
The minister said that the Arab Interior Minister Council was an opportunity to assess the security conditions, risks, and challenges, noting that it came at a time of exceptional events in the Arab world that necssitate consulation and exchange of views to strengthen Arab security.
General Shaikh Rashid shed light on the "silent risk" that attempts to tamper with the Arab identity through introducing harmful and intrusive intellectual elements that seek to achieve a state of dissociation from the values and principles of the nation, and instead introduce an imported culture of violence, hatred and creating internal conflicts under destructive slogans.
He stressed that protecting the Arab identity was the first line of defence and the path to maintaning strength, security and stable communities.
The minister said that the Arab identity representad the overall sense of strength, reinforced by common factors of language, religion, heritage and culture.
The minister noted that Arab identity doesn’t express itself within temporal and spatial boundaries, but rather a collective framework and a strong sense of belonging
General Shaikh Rashid underscored the importance of maintaining social security to preserve the Arab identity through appropriate mechanisms.
He added: "There is a need to encourage initiatives and programmes that the Arab Interior Ministers Council could adopt to reinforce Arab identity as a symbol of our civilisation, representing the strength of our countries and the stability of our joint security."
The minister touched on the importance of security cooperation, noting that its strength obstructed chances of the emerging of groups or entities that attempt to instigate chaos and instability in line with foreign agendas and ideologies.
He underscored the importance of addressing Arab-Arab security issues, then to take active procedures to eradicate all forms of support for outlawed groups through joint efforts.
During the meeting, Arab Interior Minister discussed topics on the agendas and suggested projects, including the 11th Arab Security Plan, the 9th Arab Media Awareness and Crime Prevention Plan and the 8th phase of the Arab Traffic Safety Strategy. The meeting reviewed recommendations of the conferences and meetings held by the General Secretariate in 2023, outcomes of joint meetings with Arab and international authorities and other key topics.
The Interior Minister held several meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting. He met His Highness Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Egyptian Interior Minister Major-General Mahmoud Tawfiq, Jordanian counterpart Mazin Abdellah Hilal Al Farrayeh, and Lebanese Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi.
