Day: October 26, 2023

Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF), received the body of fallen serviceman Major Mohammed Salem Mohammed Anber at the Isa Air Base.

Lieutenant General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Nuaimi, the Minister of Defence Minister, and Lieutenant General Theyan bin Saqr Al Nuaimi, the Chief of Staff were present.

The body arrived on board a Royal Bahraini Air Force military aircraft at the Isa Air Base, where a military ceremony was conducted in the presence of BDF senior officers and the family of the fallen serviceman.

The Commander-in-Chief conveyed the condolences of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister; and Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Commander-in-Chief of the BDF and those of his own to the family members.

He affirmed that the noble sacrifices of the brave servicemen will remain a source a pride for the nation, as they have lost their lives while valiantly performing their national duties of supporting their brothers in arm in defending the southern borders of Saudi Arabia as part of the Arab Coalition forces conducting Operation Decisive Storm and Operation Restoring Hope.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Lieutenant-General His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, National Security Advisor and Royal Guard Commander; Colonel His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Royal Guard Special Force Commander; Lieutenant General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Nuaimi, the Minister of Defence Minister; Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Theyab bin Saqer Al Nuaimi, performed the funeral prayer for the fallen serviceman Major Mohammed Salem Mohammed Anber of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF), which was held at Al Hunainiya cemetery.

Major Anber lost his life affected by the injuries he sustained in the line of duty while participating in the BDF taskforce at the southern border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of the Arab Coalition leading operations Decisive Storm and Restoring Hope.

They extended the condolences of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces; His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Prime Minister; and Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Commander-in-Chief of the BDF and those of their own to the serviceman’s family, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

The funeral prayer was attended by senior BDF officers, officials, family members of the fallen serviceman and scores of citizens.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavský, welcomed Thursday the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco, Nasser Bourita, who is on an official visit to Prague.

On this occasion, the two ministers signed a Joint Declaration, noting the importance of deepening the historical relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Czech Republic.

They expressed their shared desire to “further strengthen the excellent partnership between the two countries.”

The two ministers also expressed their firm intention to pursue a dialogue and increased cooperation in all fields.

They welcomed the increase in trade between the two countries and the investments made by Czech companies in the Kingdom these recent years.

Bourita and Lipavský agreed to further promote the exchange of visits, including economic missions, and to deepen economic cooperation.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Following the “Cairo Summit for Peace”, held in Cairo on October 21, 2023, and in light of the continued escalation that began on Saturday, October 7, 2023 in both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, especially in the Gaza Strip, with regards to the continued deaths of innocent civilians, and the flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law;

The Foreign Ministers of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Kingdom of Morocco issued the following statement on October 26, 2023:

? Condemning and rejecting all acts of violence and terrorism against civilians and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and facilities, in addition to all violations of the international humanitarian law and the international human rights law by any party.

? Condemning individual or collective forced displacement, as well as the policy of collective punishment.

? Confirming the rejection of any attempts to solve the Palestinian issue at the expense of the Palestinian people or the people of the region, or through displacing the Palestinian people by any means, as it is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime.

? Affirming the need for full adherence to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, especially when it comes to the responsibilities of the occupation, asserting the importance of the immediate release of civilian hostages and detainees, and ensuring that they are provided with safe, dignified and humane treatment consistent with international law, in addition to emphasising the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross in this regard.

? Emphasising that the right to self-defence guaranteed by the United Nations Charter does not justify flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law, or the deliberate neglect of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination, and the end of the decades-long occupation.

? Calling upon the UN Security Council to compel the parties to an immediate and sustainable ceasefire.

? Emphasising that failure to recognise the flagrant violations of international humanitarian law serves as permission for the continuation of these practices, and complicity in committing them.

? Demanding more efforts to ensure and facilitate fast, safe and sustainable access of humanitarian aid to Gaza without obstacles in accordance with relevant humanitarian principles, and to mobilise additional resources in cooperation with the United Nations and its affiliated organisations and agencies, especially UNRWA.

? Expressing concern about the possibility of the current confrontations and conflict expanding to other regions in the Middle East, calling on all parties to exercise utmost restraint, and stressing that the expansion of this conflict will have serious consequences for the people of the region and for international peace and security.

? Expressing concern about the escalation of violence in the West Bank, calling on the international community to support and strengthen the Palestinian National Authority, and to provide financial support to the Palestinian people through Palestinian institutions.

? Emphasising that the absence of a political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has led to repeated acts of violence and suffering for the Palestinian and Israeli people and the people of the region in general, stressing the importance of the international community, especially the Security Council, to assume their responsibilities in order to achieve peace in the Middle East, calling for genuine collective efforts to resolve the conflict through the implementation of the two-state solution on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions, ensuring the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state with contiguous territory, on the pre-June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Sustainable Development Ministry and the Information and e-Government Authority (iGA) held two virtual training workshops for the ministries of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture and Health on the use of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) Monitoring Application for Reporting on SDGs (MARS) platform.

The Sustainable Development Ministry indicated that a series of training workshops will be held during the coming period for various government agencies in order to enhance the exchange of national data related to sustainable development goals on a regular and real-time basis.

The workshops will inform the specialised employees of the various relevant government agencies about the “MARS” platform mechanism, and train them on how to use it to immediately record the indicators that have been achieved within the sustainable development goals.

According to UNESCWA, MARS is a web solution that aims to enable National Statistical Systems in the Arab region to manage data flow and facilitate data reporting on SDGs from each national entity at the data provider level and in line with the United Nations custodian agencies’ calendar.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Bahraini Ambassador to Britain, hosted the annual dinner ceremony for the Friends of Bahrain Society in the United Kingdom, which was established in 1965.

Earl of Minto, Minister of State at the British Department for Business and Trade, Khalid Rashid Al Zayani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the British Chamber of Commerce Bahrain, several members of the British House of Commons and House of Lords, senior officials from the British Home Office and Defence Ministry, in addition to 100 members of the Friends of Bahrain Society in the United Kingdom, attended the ceremony.

Heather Harper, Chairperson of the Bahrain Society in the UK, delivered a statement in which she expressed the pride of the Friends of Bahrain Society in His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s care, affirming the depth of the long-standing relations between the two kingdoms.

She appreciated the hospitality and warm welcome accorded to the members of the Friends of Bahrain Society during their presence in the Kingdom.

Lynn Collins, who has lived in Bahrain since the 1950s, also addressed the ceremony. She expressed deepest thanks and appreciation to the kingdom, noting that the Friends of Bahrain Society aims to strengthen friendship ties between the two countries and their peoples.

Earl of Minto, in his speech, lauded the success of the recent official visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the United Kingdom, during which the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on a Strategic Investment and Collaboration Partnership.

The Minister of State at the British Department for Business and Trade, highlighted the role played by the Friends of Bahrain Society in strengthening friendship ties between the two countries, affirming that trade exchange between the two countries reached a historical record this year.

He added that the ongoing Free Trade Agreement between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries would contribute to enhancing the robust strategic, economic and trade relations between the two kingdoms.

Khalid Rashid Al Zayani, while addressing the annual dinner ceremony, affirmed the unique and distinguished nature of the Bahraini-British relations as a result of their deep-rooted bonds.

He valued highly the efforts exerted by the Friends of Bahrain Society to strengthen bilateral ties, stressing the role of businessmen in the two countries in creating new investment opportunities that build on their joint achievements in various sectors and industries.

Source: Bahrain News Agency