Bahrain to host IPU General Assembly next year

TDT | Manama                                                                            

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain is set to host the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) General Assembly and related meetings in March next year. The agreement was signed yesterday between Bahrain’s bicameral parliament and the IPU.

More than 2,000 representatives of parliaments and delegations from 178 parliaments from across the world and international organisations will participate in the five-day assembly in Bahrain.

The assemblies will be jointly organised by the legislative and executive branches. Present in the agreement-signing ceremony in Manama was attended by Council of Representatives Speaker Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal, Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh and IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong.

Speaker Zainal said that the Kingdom’s hosting of the IPU 146th Assembly is a clear evidence of the international confidence that it has enjoyed. It also reflects Bahrain’s good standing in the international community, which comes as a result of the approach and lofty support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, she added.

Zainal also emphasised the remarkable support from the government headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and its steady cooperation with the legislative branch.

Al Saleh said that the IPU confidence in Bahrain and the holding of its 146th General Assembly in Manama are a confirmation of the Kingdom’s remarkable progress and growth in parliamentary and legislative action.

He added that the presence and participation of heads and representatives of all legislative councils in the world, as well as parliamentary unions and international organisations, will constitute an opportunity to learn more about Bahrain and its role in spreading the values of tolerance, coexistence and peace.

Topics to be highlighted at the March meetings include peaceful coexistence, rejecting fanaticism, and achieving global security and stability.