Manama, June 1 (BNA): The Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence, President of “This Is Bahrain” Society, Betsy Matheson, announced today the approval of the tent expansion project: Freedom of Religion and Belief. The conference is an annual event with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the European Union in the field of promoting freedom and human rights. She indicated that the conference will be held next March.
This came at the conclusion of the three-day conference, under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. An elite group of policy and decision makers from Bahrain and the European Union as well as representatives of civil society participated in the event aimed at laying the groundwork for a structured dialogue to deepen the common understanding of religious freedom and enhance humanitarian cooperation on the basis of pluralism. and diversity.
At the end of the conference, the participants recommended launching and financing a joint fund for youth-related projects between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the European Union. They also called for continuing to hold joint periodic meetings throughout the year to follow up on the implementation of recommendations and discuss new issues. They also recommended organizing an exhibition accompanying the conference in the Belgian capital, Brussels, to review the participation of public and private institutions, and to transfer Bahrain’s pioneering experience in religious coexistence and freedom to European capitals.
The closing session of the conference included an online speech by the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamonn Gilmore, who emphasized that any attack on any religion or belief is an attack on all religions and peoples. He stressed the importance of protecting religion and belief through the mechanisms that are agreed upon to assume this responsibility.
Gilmore praised the cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the European Union in promoting religious freedom, noting the importance of the conference in this regard. He expressed his keenness to increase cooperation between the two sides in this regard in the future.
For his part, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence, Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, pointed out the strategic importance of the Kingdom of Bahrain as a gateway to the European Union to enhance cooperation with the region. He also shed light on the many civilized achievements that Bahrain has achieved, especially during the past years, stressing its continuous excellence throughout its history.
AOQ