Bahrain calls on Asian leaders at CICA to join hands to end crisis

TDT | Manama          

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain yesterday affirmed peace and solidarity as the only way to ensure global security and stability and advised world nations to adopt diplomacy to resolve regional crises and conflicts during a speech to Asian leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid AlZayani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said this while addressing the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Chaired by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the conference kicked off yesterday. Russian President Vladimir Putin was present at the summit alongside a number of Asian leaders, including Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan.

The body includes several Central Asian ex-Soviet nations, China, India and some Arab and Southeast Asian nations. “Ensuring the right to a free and dignified life as well as international cooperation and partnership are the basic requirements to resolve the challenges and difficulties the world face,” the minister said.

“This is especially important as the world around us faces bitter conflicts, disputes and extremely difficult political, security and economic challenges threatening international peace and security and draining our resources and energies.

“It affects humanitarian conditions and the lives of ordinary people and compounds their suffering. He also underlined that Asia, with diverse resources, natural and economic potential and human energies, deserves to play a greater role in the international arena.

“The will to change requires wisdom, insight, and an ambitious future outlook,” the minister stressed.

“Tolerance and peaceful coexistence between peoples, religions, beliefs, mutual respect, human unity, the values of brotherhood, cooperation and solidarity are the principles and values pursued by Bahrain under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,” the minister stressed During his speech at the summit, Putin said, “The world is becoming truly multi-polar,” Putin said. “And Asia, where new centres of power are emerging, plays a significant, if not key, role in it.”