This was the was the crux of the Press conference addressed by Head of His Royal Highness Premier’s Court Shaikh Hussam bin Isa Al Khalifa and Chief of Staff of the Cabinet of the AUC Chairperson John K. Shinkaiye and attended by his accompanying delegation.
In line with its desire to develop its relations with international organisations and extend bridges of cooperation with foreign countries, the Kingdom of Bahrain hosted, from September 16 and 19, a delegation from the Addis Ababa-based African Union Commission (AUC), led by the Chief of Staff of the Cabinet of the AUC Chairperson John K. Shinkaiye.
Head of His Royal Highness Premier’s Court Shaikh Hussam bin Isa Al Khalifa and John K. Shinkaiye shed light on the outcome of AUC delegation’s visit aiming to consolidate Bahrain-AUC ties at all levels.
Shaikh Hussam highlighted the importance of AUC delegation’s visit reflecting its appreciation to the efforts exerted by the kingdom and His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa to back the African continent and help its countries achieve the goals of sustainable development.
He also said that the visit would boost Bahrain-AUC cooperation further, in line with the kingdom’s policy aiming to broaden the scope of bilateral cooperation and avail of the available potentials and expertise in consolidating the renaissance and development marches it is currently witnessing.
“The visit is in response to the successful visit by a high-level delegation from the Kingdom of Bahrain to the headquarters of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa in June, 2012, and is an opportunity to exchange visions on joint cooperation,” he said, pointing out that the two sides’ meetings focused on the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the economic, trade and human rights fields, coordination of stances and the implementation of the Arab-African Strategic Partnership.
On his part, the Chief of Staff of the Cabinet of the AUC Chairperson John K. Shinkaiye expressed the AUC delegation’s delight at visiting the kingdom, praising the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to them by the Bahraini officials.
He also praised the kingdom’s development and progress, affirmed the African Union (AU)’s keenness to bolster its ties with Bahrain and open up new channels of cooperation with it.
He also expressed hope that the visit would pave the way for more cooperation between Au and the GCC states.
John K. Shinkaiye also commended the leading role played by the kingdom of Bahrain to back the development efforts across the African continent, which, he asserted, testifies to the prestigious status enjoyed by it at the international level, expressing sincere thanks and appreciation to HRH Premier’s Court Chief Shaikh Hussam bin Isa for his endeavours to enhance cooperation between Bahrain and AU.
It is worth noting that AUC delegation held a number of fruitful meetings with the kingdom’s officials, including Deputy Premier Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Minister of State for Follow up Affairs Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Mutawa, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ghanim fadhl Al-Buainain and the Speaker of the Representatives Council Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Dhahrani.
AUC delegation is also expected to hold meetings here tomorrow with the Industry and Commerce Minister Dr. Abdulla Hassan Fakhro, the second Deputy Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Adel Al A’li and BCCI members.