Bahraini PM receives British parliamentary delegation

His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa has affirmed that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has adopted reform as an approach and consolidated it with democratic practices, free and transparent parliamentary elections, effective constitutional institutions and free-working civil society organisations. He confirmed that throughout the kingdom's history, doors have always been wide-open between the wise leadership and the people, adding that it is odd and surprising that the openness, democracy and legislation aiming to achieve for the welfare of Bahraini people and residents are faced with attempts by some groups to undermine and harm such milestone achievements through terrorism and vandalism which are both rejected. HRH the Prime Minister stressed that such attempts have always been dealt with justice and the force of law, noting that whoever intentionally violates the law and order will be confronted and held responsible in accordance with the law. This came as HRH Premier received, at his Palace in Riffa today, a British Parliamentary delegation, led by the Chairman of the House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee MP Richard Ottaway. HRH Premier welcomed the delegation's visit, saying that the kingdom is looking forward to increasing the number of such visits in order to consolidate joint official and public rapprochement further. He praised the deep-rooted friendly relations bonding Bahrain and Britain and their peoples, expressing hope that economic and trade cooperation will be enhanced further so as to reflect the solidity of those historical ties. HRH Prime Minister pointed out that the kingdom will always bolster its cooperation with friendly countries, stressing the importance of consolidating coordination among all sides in order to promote security and stability across the region. HRH Premier stressed that violence and arson do not pave the way for dialogue. "Has there been a country which launched a dialogue and created good conditions for its success during a time of increased acts of arson and vandalism?" he inquired. He noted that although some Western media outlets have not been fair in tackling the incidents in Bahrain, countries of the free world, particularly Britain, have begun to recognize the reality of what is going on after the terrorist intentions of some groups have been uncovered, and voiced its support for the kingdom and the procedures it has taken overtly. "Bahrain has the best human rights record, and the government has spared no effort to secure the Kingdom such a position and, therefore, we are not ready to compromise such landmark achievements, attained thanks to the joint efforts of the leadership and the people, and will confront the terrorist groups trying to undermine them," he also said. "Whenever the kingdom is in danger, no one can expect us to stay idle and cross-handed and do nothing to stop acts of violence and sabotage," he added, noting that Bahrain is part of the world and it is affected by the on-going challenges, which, he said, requires it to coordinate with regional and global sides in order to overcome them and maintain its position in such a changing world. HRH added that Bahrain's future lays in Gulf unity initiated by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to move from the phase of cooperation among GCC states to a union one, affirming that the region's future is globally essential due to its political and economic weight. On their part, the British delegation praised Bahrain's political and economic positive atmosphere, hailing its development in various fields. They hailed the care accorded to all expatriate communities in the kingdom, particularly the British one. The delegation also praised HRH the Prime Minister's vision and views which he presented during the meeting, affirming the deep-rooted relations bonding the two friendly countries, as well as their keen interest to develop them in various aspects.