His Excellency Dr. Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transport and Communications, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), affirmed the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the country’s great king, may God protect and preserve him, to strengthen the bonds of cooperation and strategic partnership with the European Union, in a way that supports common interests and contributes to consolidating security, peace and sustainable development at the regional and international levels. He praised His Excellency the Minister, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Derasat, praised the fruitful results of the participation of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him, in the first Gulf-European Summit in Brussels, and His Highness’s visit to the Italian Republic, in their affirmation of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s firm commitment to strengthening cooperation and friendship between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union, in a way that meets their common aspirations for stability, peace and global prosperity. This came during the speech he delivered. His Excellency at the reception for the tenth anniversary of the founding of the European-Gulf Information Center (EGIC), which was held in the Italian capital, Rome, in the presence of a high-level elite of ministers, officials, and parliamentary and diplomatic figures, including His Excellency Mr. Luca Chiriani, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs of Italy, His Excellency Mr. Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, a member of the Senate and former Italian Foreign Minister, the ambassadors of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to Rome, and the CEO of the “Derasat” Center, Mr. Abdullah Mohammed. Al-Ahmad, Dr. Mitchell Belfer, head of the center, and a number of heads of international research centres, academics and media professionals. In his speech, His Excellency the Minister, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Derasat, reviewed the historical cooperation relations and the Gulf-European partnership, and the development and growth it is witnessing on the basis of understanding and convergence in visions and priorities, especially in the areas of energy security, maritime navigation, sustainable development, and green transformation, and the mutual desire to establish a broader institutional framework towards more advanced partnerships to serve security and stability. And prosperity at various national, regional and international levels. His Excellency added that the humanitarian and development dimension is no less important than the economic dimension, pointing to the importance of enhancing the smooth movement of people, services and technologies between the Gulf and European sides, in a way that contributes to expanding areas of economic, commercial and tourism cooperation and partnership, scientific and knowledge exchange, and supporting common goals in the fields of transport, communication, the digital economy, the environment and climate change. His Excellency Dr. Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transport and Communications, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), affirmed the Center’s keenness to strengthen research partnerships and exchange experiences with leading European institutions such as the European-Gulf Information Centre, out of belief in the importance of the vital role played by research and intellectual centers as effective platforms for supporting Gulf-European strategic understanding and dialogue, and providing decision-makers with innovative visions and solutions to political and security challenges. Joint economic and environmental cooperation on the regional and international arenas.
