Ayman Shakal – Photography by Suhail Wazir
– Al-Mansour: The Palestinian issue is a priority for Bahrain during its presence in the Security Council
The broad vote for Bahrain is an acknowledgment of its role in supporting pluralism and maintaining international security
The experience in the Security Council embodies a national vision that combines constants and political flexibility
The Director General of Bilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Khalifa, and Ambassador Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Khalifa, confirmed that Bahrain will work, during its membership in the UN Security Council for the period 2026-2027, to achieve and defend Arab interests, with the Palestinian issue at its heart.
This came during an intellectual dialogue organized by “Derasat” about Bahrain’s experience in the Security Council between the recent past and the immediate future, in which retired Ambassador Tawfiq Al-Mansour participated. He touched on the Kingdom’s period of assuming the non-permanent seat in the period 1998-1999, noting that Bahrain obtained near unanimity in the vote of the member states, attributing the reason for this to its balanced policy and close relations.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Khalifa explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a number of diplomats, formed a team in the Security Council, trained the diplomats, and conducted a simulation before the start of the Security Council’s work next January. He stressed that Bahrain held several meetings with countries to coordinate on the positions. He said: “We found a welcome and held meetings in this regard.”
In turn, Al-Mansour indicated that the issues that will be raised in the Security Council next January are not specific, but we hope that there will be no political developments, despite the great challenges that appear. He said: “Bahrain is prepared for all the issues that will be raised, and we hope that we will reach consensuses and positive solutions.”
Al-Mansour stressed that the Palestinian issue is a major issue for Bahrain. Because it will represent the Arab group and Palestine; Therefore, the issue is considered a major priority for the Kingdom during its presence in the Security Council.
In his response to Al-Watan’s question about the consequences of draft resolutions, he pointed out that the five permanent member states are usually the ones responsible for drafting draft resolutions, which are characterized by great difficulty due to their conflicting interests, noting the tendencies of countries such as China and the Russian Federation that conflict with America, Britain and France.
Regarding the accumulation of experience regarding the consequences of Security Council resolutions and their effects on peoples, and whether there is research and studies on them, Ambassador Al-Mansour denied this, pointing out that many of the resolutions were not fully studied, such as the sanctions imposed on Iraq, and their effects on the Iraqi people appeared.
He said: “The Brazilian ambassador at the time proposed an idea to study all humanitarian impacts, but this idea was not implemented.”
The dialogue, which was moderated by the senior analyst in the International and Strategic Studies Program, Abdul Rahman Al-Fuzaie, reviewed the themes of the Bahraini experience in membership in the Security Council during the period 1998-1999, and what it represented as a prominent diplomatic milestone that consolidated the Kingdom’s presence in international forums, in addition to an in-depth reading of the future prospects for Bahrain’s upcoming membership for the period 2026-2027, following its victory with a historic vote percentage that embodied the confidence of the international community. in its existing foreign policy On mutual respect, constructive cooperation, and positive interaction, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the country, supported by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
The two speakers touched on ways to enhance Bahrain’s role in supporting pluralism and collective action, and to utilize its membership to put forward new visions that contribute to achieving international peace and security, stressing that membership represents an opportunity to confirm Bahraini presence in formulating influential international decisions, and to highlight the national vision that is based on balance and constructive openness.
The dialogue concluded by emphasizing that Bahrain’s experience in the Security Council will represent an embodiment of a comprehensive national vision that combines diplomatic constants and political flexibility, and highlights the Kingdom’s ability to interact responsibly with world issues from a humanitarian and civilizational standpoint, informed by the directives of the wise leadership in making diplomacy a tool for promoting peace, consolidating international partnership, and preserving the highest national interests.
