Manama - The King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa on Tuesday reiterated his commitment to democracy, tolerance and diversity.
In a short welcoming message for the representatives of parliaments attending the 146th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), being held from March 11 to 15, the king said he considers the above mentioned aspects as elements that allow the Kingdom of Bahrain to present itself to the world as a modern country with solidarity with the noble causes of humanity.
Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa congratulated Angola for being chosen to host the next IPU Assembly and wished the best for the success of the event, which will be the largest parliamentary forum in the world.
At the ceremony held at the royal palace, Angola was represented by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira and the Second Vice Speaker, Arleth Chimbinda.
During the ceremony, the King received and greeted all the heads of the invited delegations.
During four days of work, the Angolan delegation carried out an intense day of parliamentary diplomacy, meeting with foreign counterparts with whom it discussed issues related to cooperation between Angola and the respective countries, as well as among parliaments.
Carolina Cerqueira took advantage of the meetings with several parliamentarians and others to promote the country's image, highlight the government’s achievements towards the social well-being of Angolans and the political transformations that have resulted in a younger parliament, balanced in terms of gender and where peaceful and partisan coexistence is a reality.
Carolina Cerqueira also emphasized the need to create parliamentary friendship groups with some countries to promote exchanges of experience in a more active way.
Angola received members of all the delegations present, with a daily flow of more than 300 delegates eager to learn about the country, the next spot for the IUP meeting, in October this year.
During the 146th General Assembly of the IPU, Angola gathered experiences of the coordination of the meeting in Bahrain, during a meeting between the National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, and the President of the Organizing Committee, Jamal Fakhro.
The Angolan delegation took the opportunity to gather detailed information about the organisation of the event, learning from Bahrain's experience for the success of the event Luanda intends to hold.
During the IPU general assembly, parliamentarians discussed the organisation's strategies on climate change, accountability at all levels, as well as the transformation of speeches into actions to fight climate change.
The agenda encompassed the strengthening of climate legislation to reduce carbon emissions and support for a clean energy transition.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is made up of 178 national parliaments and 12 regional assemblies. It is currently the main parliamentary interlocutor for the United Nations.
