Ashraf AboArafe
Today, February 25, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat, Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, received Dr. Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, board chairman of the Bahraini Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies “Derasat,” as well as Ambassador Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain. At the League of Arab States, where the meeting discussed a number of issues of common interest between the two sides.
Jamal Rushdi, the official spokesman for the Secretary-General, stated that Aboul Gheit welcomed Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa to the headquarters of the General Secretariat, pointing out the importance of the role assigned to think tanks and studies in raising awareness and renaissance of societies, especially their great role in providing information and data to decision makers and contributing to the preparation of public policies. From this standpoint, the Arab League is always keen to strengthen cooperation relations with various think tanks for the benefit of all Arab countries, whether at the societal or governmental level.
The spokesman stated that Sheikh Abdullah expressed his happiness at the Kingdom of Bahrain hosting the thirty-third Arab Summit in May 2024. He also expressed his aspiration for the Secretary-General’s participation in the seventh annual “Derasat” Forum and the strengthening of the partnership with the League of Arab States in the field of sustainable development, noting that Security and stability on the one hand and sustainable development on the other are two sides of the same coin.
At the end of the meeting, the Secretary-General witnessed the signing ceremony of a memorandum of cooperation between the League of Arab States, represented by Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Office of the Secretary-General, on the one hand, and the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies “Derasat”, represented by Dr. Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, on the other hand, with the aim of establishing an Arab intellectual container entitled “The Complex of Arab Research Centers for Sustainability and Development” in order to advance development efforts in the Arab region through scientific research, cooperation and knowledge exchange.
