London, Oct. 2 (BNA): The Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the United Kingdom took part in the annual conference of the ruling Labour Party, held in Liverpool from September 28 to October 1, attended by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, senior officials, members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, local council members, party delegates, and accredited diplomats.

On the sidelines of the conference, Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Kingdom, held meetings with a number of ministers, senior officials, and parliamentarians. They included Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Hamish Falconer, Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa; Luke Pollard, Minister of State for Defence; Alistair Carns, Minister for the Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defence; Sir Chris Bryant, Minister of State for Business and Trade; Dame Angela Eagle, Minister of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Emily Thornberry, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee; MP Afzal Khan, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Bahrain; MP Jessica Toale, Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Mayor of London Sadiq Khan; and the Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, among others.

The embassy organised the annual Arab Ambassadors’ Reception in London, chaired by Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed, with the participation of Minister of State Hamish Falconer, Minister Alistair Carns, Emily Thornberry, Anas Sarwar, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, as well as Labour Party officials, parliamentarians, diplomats, and think-tank representatives.

The embassy also hosted a dinner banquet in honour of Sir Chris Bryant and Dame Angela Eagle, in cooperation with the International Diplomatic Engagement Association, attended by ambassadors, diplomats, and MPs. Discussions addressed the UK government’s vision on trade and foreign policy, with emphasis on the importance of the GCC-UK Free Trade Agreement in supporting economic growth.

To enhance dialogue on regional and international issues, the embassy, in cooperation with the Labour Party Foreign Policy Group, organised a seminar with the participation of Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, MP Louise Sandher Jones, Minister of State for Veterans and People; MP Alex Ballinger, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Prevention, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding; and Gabrielle Rifkind, mediation and conflict resolution expert. The seminar was moderated by Peymana Assad, Chair of the Labour Party Foreign Policy Group.

The embassy also took part in several other events, including a luncheon in honour of heads of diplomatic missions, the Labour Friends of Palestine reception, and the Labour Middle East Council reception.

M.A.