Manama, Dec. 7 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Prime Minister, presided over inaugurated the 20th edition of the IISS Manama Dialogue, organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in collaboration with Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event brought together senior officials, ministers, military leaders, academics, and experts from around the world to discuss critical security issues.
In his inaugural address, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, welcomed HRH the Crown Prince and the distinguished participants. He highlighted the significance of this year’s forum coinciding with the 25th anniversary of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s accession. Dr. Al Zayani noted that under His Majesty’s leadership, Bahrain has consistently worked to promote security, stability, and prosperity across the region and beyond over the past quarter-century.
Dr. Al Zayani credited His Majesty’s vision for the establishment of the Manama Dialogue two decades ago. He added that HRH the Crown Prince as the driving force behind the forum’s growing importance in addressing regional challenges. He also commended IISS for its contributions to fostering meaningful discussions.
During his speech, the Foreign Minister underscored Bahrain’s diplomatic approach, which is rooted in principles of dialogue, coexistence, and mutual respect. He emphasised the Kingdom’s commitment to fostering sustainable and inclusive solutions to critical Middle Eastern issues, highlighting three pressing challenges. The first was the Gaza conflict, for which Bahrain is advocating for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and detainees, and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian and reconstruction aid. The second challenge was the conflict in Lebanon, where Bahrain called on all parties to uphold the ceasefire and comply with their obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and international law. The third issue was the situation in Syria. As Chair of the Arab League, Bahrain, the minister said, supported initiatives aimed at achieving a political solution that safeguards Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the rights of its people while enabling the country to play a constructive role in the region.
The minister said that the Manama dialogue meetings and the continued high level participation they attract are an important pillar of the Kingdom’s diplomatic approach. He added that through constructive engagement and facilitated by the experts at the international institute for strategic studies, over the past two decades, Manama Dialogue has been able to develop new thinking on the issues and challenges facing our region and build the new connections that can be instrumental to lasting progress.
Dr. Al Zayani further highlighted Bahrain’s leadership during the Arab League Summit held in May. He noted that the summit produced the Bahrain Declaration. He said that the summit was not just a gathering of leaders, but a testament to collective determination, to make a real positive impact on the lives of the people of the region.
The minister emphasised that Bahrain ensured that the summit should produce not just words, but actionable outcomes. As a result, the Bahrain Declaration outlined five key initiatives proposed by the Kingdom and adopted by Arab leaders. These initiatives included measures to ensure healthcare and education for conflict-affected communities, deepen Arab cooperation in innovation and financial technology, and advance plans for an international conference to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a two-state solution. He stressed that Bahrain views this as the most promising path to achieving peace and restoring hope for millions in the region.
The Minister also detailed Bahrain’s bilateral and multilateral efforts, referencing the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA) signed with the United States in 2023. The agreement aims to deepen global security and prosperity through mutual respect and collaboration. Dr. Al Zayani explained that C-SIPA was designed as a multilateral framework to bring together like-minded countries to promote stability and growth. Bahrain and the US will formally invite the United Kingdom to join the agreement as a third member during this weekend.
Furthermore, Dr. Al Zayani echoed HRH the Crown Prince’s remarks at the UN General Assembly, where HRH highlighted the growing unpredictability of global challenges. Dr. Al Zayani reaffirmed Bahrain’s commitment to pragmatic, multilateral approaches aimed at resolving regional and international disputes, reducing tensions, and fostering sustainable development.
Dr. Bastian Giegerich, Director-General and CEO of IISS, also addressed the gathering, expressing gratitude to HM the King and HRH the Crown Prince for their continued support of IISS’s mission to advance peace and security. He said their vision and their commitment to developing sound policy that furthers peace and security which have given the ISS the opportunity to do its work here in Manama.
He said that Manama Dialogue of Bahrain was established to create a platform for effective diplomacy on the security challenges of the region and to discuss how Middle Eastern security is related to security concerns in the wider world.
He added that the IISS Monama dialogue is the Middle East premier security summit with global reach. The dialogue has evolved into an essential platform for an open exchange of ideas and to think strategically about the pressing issues that animate discussions among governments.
