Speaker, Egyptian counterpart hold talks; affirm depth of Bahraini-Egyptian relations

Manama, (TGO): Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Fawzia bint Abdulla Zainal, has affirmed the depth of the solid long-standing fraternal relations between Bahrain and Egypt, as well as their steady progress thanks to their deep partnership and coordination in all fields, in light of the interest of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt. 

Speaker Zainal lauded the level of bilateral cooperation and coordination across various development fields, praising the keenness of the Bahraini government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and its Egyptian counterpart, led by Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, to broaden joint cooperation in order to achieve the interests of the two countries and their peoples. This came as the Council of Representatives Speaker, Fawzia Zainal, and the Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives, Chancellor Dr. Hanafy Ali El-Gebali, today co-chaired a Bahrain-Egyptian session of talks at the premises of the Representatives Council. 

The two sides discussed ways to enhance parliamentary relations between the two countries, in addition to the mechanisms to develop joint action and activate the memoranda of understanding and agreements signed by the two councils. They also exchanged points of view vis-à-vis regional and global issues of mutual interest.  Speaker Zainal praised the prestigious status, respect and appreciation enjoyed by Egypt at the Arab and Islamic levels, based on its political, economic, intellectual and cultural contributions over the years, stressing the importance of Egypt’s pivotal strategic role, both regionally and internationally, in supporting Arab and Islamic issues, as well as in contributing to strengthening the pillars of peace and security in the region and the world. 

She valued highly Egypt’s firm supportive stances towards Bahrain’s security and stability, in addition to their joint efforts in combating extremism, violence and terrorism and rejecting external interference in the internal affairs of countries. She commended the distinguished efforts made by Egypt to support joint Arab parliamentary cooperation, especially In light of the Bahraini-Egyptian parliamentary consensus in promoting programmes and projects, as well exchanging experiences and expertise in various fields. She underlined the keenness of the Council of Representatives to continue developing parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, and to push for more joint coordination, integration and unified visions in the political, economic and security fields at regional and international parliamentary gatherings in a manner that would serve the common interests. 

While referring to the quartet summit hosted by Abu Dhabi, and including Bahraini, UAE and Egyptian leaders, Speaker Zainal stressed the importance of coordination among leaders in unifying stances, supporting the interests of countries and their peoples, backing Arab causes, achieving stability and peace in the region, as well as combating all forms of terrorism and extremism. The Representatives Council’s Speaker and her Egyptian counterpart discussed a number of issues of mutual interest, affirming the increasing importance of cooperation between the two councils due to the growing challenges that require coordinating stances, unifying visions and increasing joint meetings, be it through exchanged visits or the available communication channels. 

Chancellor Dr. Hanafy Ali El-Gebali expressed thanks and appreciation to Speaker Zainal for her kind invitation to him to visit Bahrain, praising the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to him and his accompanying delegation. He affirmed that the visit provides an opportunity to bolster cooperation between the two brotherly countries in various fields, especially the parliamentary, economic and investment ones, through activating the joint parliamentary friendship committees to serve the interests of the two brotherly countries. The Speaker of Egypt’s House of Representatives affirmed that thanks to the wisdom of its leadership, Bahrain has become an oasis of security, development, coexistence and peace in the region, lauding the depth of the Bahraini-Egyptian relations, citing their solidarity, cooperation and constant coordination regarding various regional and global developments.