Bahrain-Israel agreements to boost regional peace, stability

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Cabinet has approved the agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed on Sunday between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Israel on the establishment of diplomatic relations between them. The US-brokered agreement capped a one-day visit by a high-level delegation of American and Israeli officials to Bahrain. The diplomatic break-through clears the way for both countries to open embassies and exchange ambassadors in the coming months. Also approved during yesterday’s regular weekly Cabinet session, held remotely, and chaired by Deputy Prime Minister His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, was the co-operation agreements between their Foreign Affairs and Finance ministries, in addition to trade, economy, air services, agriculture, information and telecommunications and post.

Through a memorandum presented by the Foreign Affairs Minister, the session was informed on the talks held with the joint US-Israeli delegation to discuss areas of co-operation between Bahrain, US and Israel. The Cabinet noted that the agreements and memoranda of understanding are based on the vision of the Kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to promote peace and stability in the Middle East. They are also aimed at promoting tolerance, coexistence and openness to religions and cultures and enhancing efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue in accordance with the two-state solution, international legitimacy resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, the Cabinet said. The session also welcomed the 45% decrease in daily active cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Kingdom during four weeks, noting that it reflects the commitment of the society and the citizens’ awareness of the scale of their responsibility to help solve the problem.

The Cabinet urged more commitment and awareness until the virus is eradicated, praising the tireless efforts made by the medical staff and the teams supporting them in this regard. The session lauded the keenness of His Majesty the King and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud to bolster the two sisterly kingdoms’ relations and intensify joint co-operation and coordination on issues of mutual interest.
 In this regard, the Cabinet endorsed the amended protocol of the minutes of the establishment of the Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council, signed between the two countries on 28/7/2019 to raise the level of the chairmanship of the Council to the level of the Crown Princes of the two countries, as outlined in the memorandum submitted by the Foreign Affairs Minister.

Marking the United Nations Day, the Cabinet praised the role played by the United Nations in promoting peace and safe-guarding global security through its initiatives and efforts in the fields of development and service to humanity, stressing the Kingdom’s keenness to support its noble efforts and co-operate with its agencies and bodies to achieve its humanitarian goals.