"A culture of peace is inseparable from human rights, respect for diversity, and fairer societies."
The above remark was made on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace in New York last year, and it sums up the guiding principles behind Bahrain's vision for peaceful coexistence and the underlying drivers behind the diplomatic breakthrough with the State of Israel on Oct. 18, 2020.
Social cohesion through peaceful coexistence underpins the vision behind this new era of friendship and peace between our two nations. For decades, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has personally backed a policy of interfaith dialogue, peaceful coexistence, and engaging with other interfaith groups across the world. Notably, Bahrain has been the only Gulf Arab state with a small, yet vibrant, Jewish community, which plays an integral role in the country's social, economic and political scenes. For decades, my Jewish community has enjoyed a climate of religious freedom in Bahrain, where various religions and sects have coexisted for centuries and where one can find a synagogue few meters away from a Hindu temple, a church, a Shia Matam and a Sunni mosque. The US-Israeli delegation saw this first-hand during their visit to the synagogue earlier this week.
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Bahrain has been committed to spreading the culture of peace, dialogue, and coexistence in its domestic and international dealings. This week, my country and Israel have taken the first, but huge, step toward building friendly, peaceful and diplomatic bilateral relations. This is important; as a citizen of this region, it fills me with hope and optimism to see the construction of a new reality for our people that is anchored on coexistence and prosperity.
Furthermore, the evolving regional dynamics and the requirements for a peaceful and prosperous future demand increased cooperation on our collective interests. Our dynamic countries have signed already a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding to collaborate in areas at the heart of our thriving economies and to charter a new path of cooperation. Through active engagement, our young and tech-savvy populations will reap the benefits in their various industries: commerce, financial services, agriculture and technology. By investing in building our economic resilience, we are stronger together. No doubt – peace and prosperity do go hand in hand.
A culture of peace and collaboration in the region is no longer a wish, but a necessity for a prosperous future for all. A more peaceful, diverse and connected Middle East is our blueprint for the future.
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