Istanbul: Ahmed bin Salman Al Musallam, Speaker of the Council of Representatives and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Division, announced that a draft emergency item condemning the Iranian attacks on Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been submitted to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and included among the emergency items to be voted on during the Assembly, which will be held in Istanbul from April 15 to 19.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the announcement came during a coordination meeting of the Arab Parliamentary Group held on the sidelines of the IPU Assembly. The Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates submitted the draft in response to the Iranian attacks targeting civilian sites, infrastructure, and vital facilities, calling for condemnation and rejection of these attacks.
Speaker Al Musallam noted that GCC parliamentary speakers agreed to consider incorporating key elements of the Bahrain-UAE draft into a broader emergency item submitted by the State of Qatar on the urgent need for concerted parliamentary efforts to support peace processes in conflict zones. The Speaker affirmed that Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, remains committed to the principles of peace, security, stability, coexistence, and tolerance, while firmly rejecting the hostile Iranian attacks that have targeted infrastructure and civilian sites, resulting in casualties and damage to citizens and their homes.
He called on member states of the Arab Parliamentary Group to support the emergency item, noting that it is based on the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution condemning the Iranian attacks targeting GCC countries and Jordan, as well as UN Security Council Resolution 2817. Speaker Al Musallam underscored that Arab parliaments have a key responsibility to adopt clear positions regarding any attacks targeting Arab countries, noting that Bahrain's continued diplomatic and parliamentary efforts at the regional and international stage reflect its commitment to safeguarding regional security and stability.
Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti, Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council of Qatar and representative of the Arab Parliamentary Group in the IPU Executive Committee, provided a briefing on the union's activities and recent developments, alongside available vacancies in its standing committees. Participants also discussed mechanisms to enhance coordination among Arab parliaments to ensure effective representation in the IPU committees. Candidates for the position of IPU Secretary-General also presented their programmes and plans during the meeting.