Bahrain's Crown Prince: Historical and fraternal bonds are the foundation for enhancing Gulf integration

Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, affirmed that the fraternal bonds, historical ties, and shared heritage uniting the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states constitute a solid foundation for enhancing cooperation and integration among them, thereby realizing the aspirations of the Gulf countries and their peoples for further development and prosperity.

The Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported that this statement was made during a meeting between the Bahraini Crown Prince and GCC Secretary-General Jassem Al-Bedawi at the Qudibiya Palace, along with the heads of delegations participating in the 10th meeting of the Standing Preparatory Committee at the ministerial level of the Economic and Development Affairs Authority. The attendees included State Minister for Economic Affairs and Investment and Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdulaziz Al-Marzouq, and State Minister for Development and Sustainability Dr. Reem Al-Faleh, who headed the delegation to the 28th meeting of the Ministers Responsible for Environmental Affairs in the Arab Gulf States.

The agency added that the delegations conveyed greetings from the leaders of the GCC states to Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and to the Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister. In turn, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad conveyed greetings from the King of Bahrain and his own regards to the GCC leaders, expressing his best wishes for the participants’ success and the achievement of the desired objectives.

He emphasized the Kingdom of Bahrain’s commitment, under the leadership of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to continue strengthening joint efforts that contribute to consolidating partnerships and integration among the GCC states, in line with their aspirations for further development and prosperity and in fulfillment of the visions of the GCC leaders, may God protect them.

He pointed to the ongoing development of frameworks and joint coordination among GCC states in various fields, particularly economic, developmental, and environmental sectors, which contribute to enhancing common Gulf work paths and creating new opportunities that strengthen Gulf partnerships and open broader horizons for building upon fruitful cooperation, thereby achieving shared goals and aspirations.

For their part, the heads of delegations participating in the meetings expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister for his keen interest and continued support for the progress of joint Gulf work across various fields, which benefits everyone. They also wished the Kingdom of Bahrain continued progress and prosperity.

For his part, Bahraini Minister of Finance and National Economy Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa affirmed that Gulf states have demonstrated their ability to handle various challenges with efficiency and competence, relying on strong fraternal bonds, a shared vision, robust economic foundations, and prudent fiscal and monetary policies that have enhanced the resilience of their economies, maintained confidence in their financial sectors, and enabled them to address challenges and continue on development paths.

This was stated in the speech delivered by the Bahraini Minister of Finance and National Economy while chairing the 10th meeting of the Standing Preparatory Committee at the ministerial level of the Economic and Development Affairs Authority, attended by the economies ministers of GCC states, including State Minister for Economic Affairs and Investment and Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdulaziz Al-Marzouq, and GCC Secretary-General Jassem Al-Bedawi.

He emphasized that the Kingdom of Bahrain consistently reaffirms that joint Gulf cooperation constitutes a strategic imperative driven by deep-rooted fraternal relations, shared objectives, and the nature of the current phase, as well as the rapid transformations and challenges facing the region and the world, which affect the stability of markets, energy security, supply chains, and the flow of trade and investment. He praised the close cooperation and coordination among sister countries in responding to Iran’s despicable attacks on the Gulf Cooperation Council states, and the resulting mitigation of negative impacts on the regional economy and the global economy as a whole. In this regard, he noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain strongly condemns the ongoing, despicable attacks carried out by the Iran-backed Houthi militia against the sister Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which constitute a blatant violation of the rules of international law, international humanitarian law, and the UN Charter, and represent a dangerous and unacceptable escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region.