CP RECEIVES ASEAN SECRETARY GENERAL

CROWN PRINCE AND DEPUTY  SUPREME COMMANDER SHAIKH  SALMAN BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA HAILED TODAY THE CONCEPT  OF COOPERATION  BETWEEN GCC COUNTRIES, INCLUDING BAHRAIN, AND THE  ASSOCIATION OF  SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN).

HE WAS SPEAKING AS HE RECEIVED AT RIFFA PALACE TODAY  ASEAN SECRETARY  GENERAL SURIN PITSUWAN IN THE PRESENCE OF FOREIGN  MINISTER SHAIKH  KHALID BIN AHMED BIN MOHAMMED AL KHALIFA.

THE ASPIRED ECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND COOPERATION  BETWEEN BOTH  SIDES COMPLEMENT BAHRAIN’S RELATIONS WITH THE GCC  GROUP WITHIN THE  FRAMEWORK OF AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK, BOOST ITS  STATUS AND  RESTORE BALANCE TO THE HISTORICAL RELATION WHICH  HAS LINKED THE GULF  WITH INDIA, IN PARTICULAR, AND ASIAN COUNTRIES, LIKE  JAPAN, CHINA AND  INDONESIA, IN GENERAL, SHAIKH SALMAN SAID.

HE ALSO STRESSED THE INEVITABILITY OF TAKING INTO  CONSIDERATION THE  CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS AND MORAL SIDE IN SUCH  COOPERATION, BEING  BAHRAIN’S STRATEGIC GOAL DRAWN UP BY HIS MAJESTY  KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL  KHALIFA IN THE KINGDOM’S FOREIGN POLICY.

BAHRAIN IS KEEN ON FURTHER DEVELOPING ITS RELATIONS  WITH ASEAN, WHICH  HAS MORE THAN HALF OF ITS POPULATION MUSLIMS, THE  CROWN PRINCE SAID  POINTING OUT THE NEED TO LOOK AFTER HUMAN  RESOURCES, BOOST  DIALOGUE BETWEEN RELIGIONS, SPREAD TOLERANCE AND  INTER- CIVILIZATIONAL DIALOGUE AND BUILD UP HOPE AND  CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE  IN FUTURE GENERATIONS. SHAIKH SALMAN PROMISED TO TURN UP AN INVITATION TO  VISIT  THAILAND,  EXTENDED TO HIM BY PITSUWAN ON BEHALF OF  THE THAI  GOVERNMENT WHICH CURRENTLY PRESIDES OVER ASEAN.

PITSUWAN VOICED THE GROUP’S WISH TO STRENGTHEN  COOPERATION AND COORDINATION  WITH BAHRAIN, IN PARTICULAR, AND THE GCC MEMBER  STATES, IN GENERAL,  SUGGESTING NEW MECHANISMS IN THIS REGARD SUCH AS  FREE TRADE AND THERAPEUTIC  TOURISM. BAHRAIN’S EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION, CULTURE AND  PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE  CAN ALSO BE PUT TO GREAT AVAIL, HE SAID.

SHAIKH KHALID HAILED PROPOSED AREAS OF COOPERATION  AND EXPRESSED THE  KINGDOM’S READINESS TO WORK WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK  OF THE ARAB LEAGUE,  ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERENCE (OIC) AND OTHER  INTERNATIONAL  ORGANIZATIONS TO ENSURE MAXIMUM BENEFITS FOR THE  GCC PEOPLES.

PRESENT AT THE MEETING WAS CROWN PRINCE COURT’S  HEAD SHAIKH KHALIFA BIN  DUAIJ AL KHALIFA.