Rome: Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), delivered a speech at a reception marking the 10th anniversary of the Euro-Gulf Information Centre (EGIC), held in Rome. The event was attended by senior ministers, officials, parliamentarians, diplomats, and research figures, including Luca Ciriani, Italy's Minister for Parliamentary Relations; Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, former Italian Foreign Minister and current Senator; ambassadors of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to Italy; Abdulla Mohammed Al Ahmed, Executive Director of Derasat; Dr. Mitchell Belfer, President of EGIC; and a number of international research and media representatives.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed emphasised the Kingdom of Bahrain's commitment, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to strengthening strategic cooperation with the European Union in support of shared interests and in advancing regional and global security, peace, and sustainable development. He commended the outcomes of the participation of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in the first Gulf-European Summit in Brussels, and his visit to the Italian Republic, noting that both reflected Bahrain's firm commitment to enhancing Gulf-European cooperation in pursuit of stability and prosperity.
In his address, Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed highlighted the longstanding Gulf-European partnership and its continued growth based on shared understanding and alignment in priorities, particularly in energy security, maritime safety, sustainable development, and the green transition. He underscored the mutual interest in building a broader institutional framework to advance cooperation for regional and global stability and prosperity.
He highlighted that human and developmental aspects are as vital as economic ones, noting the importance of facilitating the movement of people, services, and technologies between the Gulf and Europe. This, he said, would expand cooperation in trade, tourism, science, transport, communications, and the digital economy while supporting shared objectives in environmental protection and climate action.
Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed underscored Derasat's commitment to enhancing research collaboration and knowledge exchange with leading European institutions such as EGIC, recognising the pivotal role of think tanks in fostering Gulf-European understanding, promoting strategic dialogue, and providing innovative policy insights on political, economic, and environmental challenges at both regional and global levels.