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Written by Nayla Barakat
Manama, November 18 (BNA): Bahrain and Germany are close allies, and both countries have similar views and understandings on bilateral, regional and international issues.
Deputy Foreign Minister and State Minister of the German Foreign Ministry Dr. Tobias Lindner said that this was his first visit to the Gulf region and in fact to the Manama Dialogue.
He told the Bahrain News Agency on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue 2022.
He said that the Europeans have a perception of the Gulf, thinking that all the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council are the same, but for Germany, each country has its own place on the world stage.
He pointed out that Bahrain is distinguished by its commitment to peace, security and the policy of dialogue.
He said he was keen to attend bilateral sessions and meetings to explore opportunities by speaking with counterparts to deliberate on all issues of common interest in general and issues related to security and peace in particular.
He said there will also be a rare opportunity to get first-hand information on the challenges the region faces.
Bilateral relations with Bahrain and the Federal Republic of Germany are excellent. Bahrain has always been a great partner for us. When it comes to upholding international law, for example, Bahrain supports the international community, including developments in our region.”
“Bahrain has supported various resolutions in the United Nations General Assembly, which makes Bahrain a reliable partner when it comes to protecting and promoting peace in the region as well.”
He added that Germany has always supported the Abraham Accords signed by the Gulf states and other countries, as Germany believes in supporting the region in seeking peace and seeking cooperation.
“There are ways to enhance our cooperation with Bahrain and other countries and be open to discuss methods of diversifying supply chains when it comes to fossil fuels. As I believe in the future, Bahrain can be a part of it when it comes to diversifying our supply chains, whether it is on fossil fuels or renewables in liquid nitrogen in the future.
“The theme of this year’s Manama Dialogue is Rules and Competitions in the Middle East. And we’re dealing with a time when the topics are on three points, conflict, COVID and climate. “
He added that there are two lessons learned and this is a good reason and this is the theme of this year’s conference.
We must get better at looking ahead and predicting crises. You know, over the last few years, we’ve mentioned COVID. We just reacted more than acted, and I am convinced that COVID will not be the last pandemic of this century.
Therefore, when it comes to switching, we must improve and know how we can predict crises and how we can act preventively. We cannot avoid or try to avoid a crisis.
“So, when it comes to this region, I think we should also see the impact of climate change. And climate change is real. It’s happening. It’s an accelerator of crises that are all over the planet. And certainly, it’s also changing the business models of countries, especially in the region.
“In Germany, we are now looking for suppliers of fossil fuels. That’s right. In the medium and long term, we are trying to accelerate the green transition of our economy.
Dr. Lindner said that the Manama Security Dialogue Summit is an important platform that provides a rare opportunity for global leaders, decision-makers and security experts to deliberate on regional stability and the pursuit of defense sustainability through dialogue and mutual understanding.
“The personal presence of the IISS in Bahrain after the pandemic is a great feeling. I am president, and we have the Munich Security Conference, which is certainly an important conference. But at the same time, there is always a risk if you only look from a European perspective or from an American perspective, or from an Asian perspective.
Therefore, the conference here is also a very important forum for learning and seeing regional assessments and regional opinions on different situations. The title of the conference also indicates whether you want to protect and maintain the rules-based international order, the order provided by the force of law rather than the law of the strongest. So, if we want to do this, we need to apply it all over the world. Therefore, my visit here in Bahrain should confirm to the German government that the rules-based order is important all over the world and especially in this region.”