King of Bahrain hosts reception ceremony in London

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa hosted at his residence here last night a reception ceremony, marking his visit to the United Kingdom to attend the first International Windsor Endurance Festival, held at UK-based Windsor Great Park. HRH Duke of York Prince Andrew, the Personal Representative of HM the King Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, British Chief of Staff, British Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Lords, Members of the Houses of Commons, Chairmen of companies, members of the delegation accompanying HM the King, a number of officials and guests. During the ceremony, HM King Hamad delivered the following keynote statement. In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful" "Your Royal Highness, Ladies and Gentlemen, "It gives me the greatest pleasure to be joined by so many good friends here tonight and I welcome you all most warmly. "The main purpose of gathering together this evening is to celebrate the inauguration by Bahrain of the Endurance Ride as part of the Royal Windsor Horse Show. For us this has been a landmark occasion, linking our long tradition of endurance riding with not only the largest equine event in the UK but with one of the most prestigious such events in the world, and, most happily, in its 70th anniversary year. So I should like to express my thanks to Her Majesty the Queen for her invitation to participate in this event. The warmth and sincerity of our welcome has more than fulfilled the purpose of the Ride. "I am sure that those of you lucky enough to watch the Ride will have felt as privileged as I did to witness at first hand the extraordinary expertise and stamina of the riders. I congratulate the winners and all those who took part. My congratulations also go to the staff of the Royal Windsor Horse Show for the outstanding organisation they provided, involving 55 riders from 7 different countries. "The involvement of Bahrain in this event will, I hope, become a permanent part of the Endurance Riding calendar. But more than that, I see the cooperation and friendship we have met here as symbolising the relationship between our two countries. The first Treaty of Friendship was signed in 1820, nearly 200 years ago, and it remained until replaced by a new one in 1971 on Britain’s withdrawal from the Gulf – a unilateral decision of which my father said – "Why? - No one asked you to go"! In fact for all practical and strategic purposes the British presence has not changed and it remains such that we believe we shall never be without it. "So I am happy to say that the relationship is as strong as ever –perhaps even stronger. We have the closest cooperation across a wide range of activities and especially in the field of defence where we are each seeking to expand the British presence in our country to mutual advantage. To that end we signed a new Defence Cooperation Accord in October last year. At the same time there are some 9,000 permanent British residents in Bahrain making a major contribution to the prosperity of the kingdom as they have always done. Indeed I am proud to say that, by due legal process, we have granted Bahraini nationality to 240 British citizens as they themselves had requested and whose loyal service more than justified it. "At this time Bahrain is going through a phase of remarkable economic regeneration. There are major projects underway in housing, including substantial social housing, and for expansion in the oil sector, but above all in transport. And before long Bahrain will be connected to its fellow GCC countries as a result of the ambitious plan to create a railway linking all the GCC states. And underpinning these exciting projects the economy continues to grow at 5% a year. Meanwhile, Bahrain’s total banking assets in the United Kingdom amount to 11.1 billion dollars which does not include any other investments Bahrain has with the United Kingdom . "This encouraging picture of a dynamic and happy country is not always the one reflected by the western media. But as Disraeli said – "it is easier to be critical than correct". Of course the unrest of 2011 has had an impact and it continues in a small number of villages to this day. We are doing our best to tackle it through dialogue and the improvements we have put in place in our legal and policing procedures in which we have had much support from the UK authorities. Unfortunately we are dealing with a small but violent minority inspired and supported by elements outside the kingdom. But we remain confident that we will achieve an outcome satisfactory to all. "Ladies and gentlemen, I spoke earlier about our relationship with the United Kingdom. To close, I would summarise that relationship by saying: "The choices we make become our life and the choice we made is a lasting friendship with you". All of you here tonight are a part of that lasting friendship. I offer a warm welcome to you all. "May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you"