Parliamentary dialogue between Europe and the Gulf is crucial to tackling security threats, boosting economic ties, and encouraging peaceful coexistence, visiting European legislators have urged.
The call follows high-level talks in Manama by members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the Arabian Peninsula (DARP), who visited Bahrain ahead of the second EU-GCC Summit on October 24.
Led by DARP chair Reinhold Lopatka and former Spanish Justice Minister Juan Fernando López Aguilar, the delegation met His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, alongside leaders from the Shura Council, the Council of Representatives, and the King Hamad Global Centre for Coexistence and Tolerance.
Speaking at a reception at the German Ambassador’s residence in Saar, Mr Lopatka praised Bahrain’s active diplomacy and parliamentary setup, highlighting Brussels’ renewed focus on the Gulf.
“For the first time, the European Union is genuinely focussed on this region, supported by a European Commission portfolio dedicated specifically to the Gulf,” Mr Lopatka said. “Our objective at the parliamentary level is to establish a structured, regular exchange between GCC legislatures and the European Parliament, reinforcing government efforts and directly engaging our citizens – particularly the youth.”
He added that bringing young Bahrainis into exchanges with EU institutions would help build long-term ties between future leaders and European policymakers.
Mr Lopatka drew parallels between Bahrain’s diplomatic footprint and his home country of Austria, which joins the UN Security Council in January.
“Bahrain plays a diplomatic role far greater than its geographical size, particularly through its active engagements and resolution initiatives at the UN level,” Mr Lopatka added.
“The EU strongly supports Bahrain’s right to be heard and defended. We remain steadfastly in favour of diplomatic solutions and negotiated agreements, because stability here is critical not just for Europe or the Middle East, but for the entire world.”
Mr López Aguilar described the meetings as a valuable learning experience, pointing to Bahrain’s tradition of religious tolerance and open dialogue.
“We appreciated the welcoming commitment to tolerance and coexistence,” Mr López Aguilar said after visiting the King Hamad Global Centre for Coexistence and Tolerance.
“It is a sign of lining up shared values in an open-minded Muslim country where Muslims live alongside people of different faiths and welcome visitors from international institutions.”
Turning to wider regional instability involving Iran, Israel and the United States, both MEPs stressed that the fallout extends far beyond the Middle East, reiterating the EU’s stance against state-sponsored terrorism and aggression.
“The crisis in the Gulf is a world crisis, and the damage that has been imposed on the region is globally relevant,” Mr López Aguilar noted. “We should work together in order to build solutions, and parliamentary dialogue is a vital instrument aimed toward that end. Bahrain, though a small country physically and in population, is a relevant global actor holding a key role in regional and international dialogue.”
avinash@gdnmedia.bh
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