Bahraini Crown Prince: Enhancing Security and Stability is a Shared Goal and Collective Responsibility

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Bahrain, opened the 22nd Regional Security Forum, “Manama Dialogue 2026,” yesterday, in the presence of several senior officials and with the participation of high-level delegations comprising ministers, security officials, military leaders, and academics from various countries around the world. He emphasized that the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, continues to support international efforts aimed at enhancing joint initiatives and international cooperation, given their importance in consolidating the foundations of regional and international security and stability. He stressed the importance of ensuring the security of vital international waterways and freedom of maritime navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, which contributes to consolidating security and stability, and achieving development and prosperity for the region and the world.

He noted that enhancing security and stability is a shared goal and a collective responsibility that requires concerted efforts and convergence of perspectives. He affirmed that consolidating the pillars of security and stability opens wider horizons for development and enhances the ability to achieve the progress and prosperity that peoples aspire to, a process that requires continuing development efforts and joint work to support the sustainability of peace and bring benefits and growth to all.

He praised the prominent role of the Manama Dialogue forum in discussing regional and international security issues, and the contributions it has made through its successive editions in enhancing dialogue and communication among decision-makers, and bridging differences of opinion on issues of common interest, thereby supporting the continued development of partnerships and advancing international cooperation toward broader horizons.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Bahraini Prime Minister, pointed out the importance of the opportunities provided by international gatherings to enhance partnerships and exchange views and experiences, and to build on joint efforts achieved to realize desired goals in the fields of security and development. He emphasized the importance of continuing to strengthen cooperation and coordination among countries, and developing joint efforts to address various challenges, which contributes to reaching effective solutions that support security and stability and align with developmental aspirations.

On the second day of the forum, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaybani stated yesterday that Syria has exited the trench of conflicts to take its rightful place at the table of regional security decision-making. He stressed that true security is embodied in states capable of protecting their peoples, neighbors who respect each other’s sovereignty, and charters that withstand difficult tests.

Minister Al-Shaybani outlined, in his speech yesterday during a session on the pillars of regional security, the path of national recovery, steps to close the chapter on the legacy of the ousted regime, and Syria’s steadfast positions on various regional and international issues. He clarified that for many years, Syria had become a file discussed on others’ tables, overflowing with the burdens of displacement, the export of crises, and transborder crime. He affirmed commitment to fulfilling the promise of closing the chapter on the legacy of the ousted regime through Syria’s joining of the international coalition against ISIS, stating, “We took a historic step by integrating armed formations in the northeast into state institutions, emphasizing that weapons derive their legitimacy solely from the legitimacy of the state.”

On regional matters, the Syrian minister affirmed standing shoulder to shoulder with Gulf states and Jordan against any aggression, and condemning missile and drone attacks, noting that Gulf stability is a natural extension of Syria’s security.

In response to journalists’ questions, Al-Shaybani affirmed that Syria has overcome sensitive and difficult stages and breached the wall of mistrust to become a strategic and genuine partner in security.

The region and its stability, emphasizing that Syria’s security and stability are achieved through regional integration, considering the security of the Arabian Gulf an inseparable part of Syria’s regional security, and vice versa. Regarding regional alliances, Al-Shaybani clarified that “there are ongoing discussions to evaluate Syria’s accession to the Mecca Alliance,” affirming that Damascus is a fundamental component of the region’s security and aligns with any system that safeguards its stability, noting that the region is in dire need of developing joint deterrence and defense systems.

For his part, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, during a session titled “Impacts of the Transformative Regional Conflict,” outlined the challenges posed by military escalation in the region and its repercussions on regional and international security and stability. He stressed Egypt’s firm rejection and condemnation of attacks on Gulf states, considering Gulf security an inseparable part of Egyptian security. He pointed to the repercussions stemming from tensions and the widening scope of confrontation on the global economy and supply chains in food, energy, and other markets, stating that the time has come to shift from the logic of crisis management to the logic of system-building—moving from responding to threats after they occur to the capacity to prevent them beforehand.

Minister Abdelatty presented Egypt’s vision for the pillars upon which to build to enhance the future of regional security, which are based on the rule of law, non-use of force, non-interference in the internal affairs of states, strengthening the concept of regional ownership and shared responsibility for security, exercising diplomatic wisdom backed by deterrence power in resolving disputes, and the necessity of preserving the security of navigation, energy, and critical infrastructure. He also emphasized the imperative of finding a just settlement to the Palestinian issue, which includes establishing an independent Palestinian state with sovereignty on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, while rejecting displacement, annexation, and settlement activities.