His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa the Prime Minister emphasized that the solid relations between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries and their desire to form the Gulf Union is the way to preserve the GCC accomplishments for the present and the future of the region. \"The Gulf Union is the ultimate goal of the peoples of the region, and we should take advantage of the successes accomplished at various levels, as regional and international developments necessitate expediting the realization of the Gulf Union into practical reality as soon as possible. HRH the Prime Minister was interviewed by Mr. Ahmed Ali the GM of Qatari daily newspaper, Al-Watan, published today. His Highness praised the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to move from the status of cooperation to the status of the Union, depicting it as one of the signs of his laudable initiatives aimed at unity and consolidation of stances. His Highness stressed that the chances are great for moving ahead with the Gulf Union, in light of the GCC agreement on this common goal. His Highness the Prime Minister stressed the importance of intensifying meetings at the leadership level at frequent intervals to discuss any developments, as challenges are getting bigger, which requires that we should align our steps according to variables. \"We expect the next GCC Summit to take a key decision on the Union and achieve the dream that we are all looking forward for our peoples and countries.\" His Highness said. And regarding the situation of Bahrain, HRH confirmed that Bahrain, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, is witnessing amazing development in many areas including health, education, public services and infrastructure. And it has up-to-date laws, regulations and legislative authority, which enjoys large powers in terms of expression of the people\'s aspirations. \"Despite the bitter taste of the crisis experienced by the Kingdom, fortunately the crisis has contributed by promoting the patriotic spirit among the people who came out in multitudes and expressed their strongest condemnation and rejection of all sorts of terrorism and its perpetrators \", HRH the Premier said. His Highness also emphasized that Bahrain does not have any sectarian tension and what is happening is actually terrorist attempts whose perpetrators commit acts of violence and terrorism and target security men and seek to undermine civic peace. His Highness stressed that what is happening in Bahrain is not in order to demand better living, health, education or housing or services , but rather an attempt to drag the country into chaos and destruction. However, the attitude and awareness of the people of Bahrain have helped protect the Homeland. \"We\'re in the state of law where the law is respected and upheld and our courts are compliant with law in order to achieve security and stability for the community, in presence of full guarantees for judiciary independence. Nothing that had happened has anything to do with what some persons purportedly call as sectarian strife.\" His Highness said. His Royal Highness stressed the need for the Gulf Cooperation Council to put into consideration the disorders and poor security and stability witnessed in some surrounding countries, and to close all doors in the face of any foreign interventions, because for us as emerging countries any impact on our security and stability will have negative repercussions on our development and progress. His Royal Highness reiterated that: \"We do not want to have hostility with anyone, and we don’t want to make enemies. We would like to reach out to those who stretch out their hands to us, and our country is dear to us and will not give away any part of the territory of this country.\" His Royal Highness said that there are some sides who are trying to portray things in Bahrain as contrary to what they are in actuality, but they do not understand the good nature of the people of Bahrain, and they do not realize that all their desperate attempts will not undermine the cohesion of this people. They don’t know that Bahrain will never give up its sovereignty and independence and would reject all attempts at blackmailing or pressurizing. His Highness noted that what the accredited ambassadors and representatives of nations who are implementing the directives of their country, and their meetings with any third parties in any country should be clear and consistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. His Highness stressed that the protection of Bahrain from the hazards of terrorism is a shared community responsibility, and not the responsibility of the government alone, expressing his confidence that we will succeed in eradicating the phenomenon of terrorism and protect Bahrain and its people from such dangers. His Royal Highness stressed that the Bahraini community have foiled all plots and conspiracies which targeted the security and stability of the country. HRH expressed his pride in the approval by the Arab League of the Kingdom of Bahrain becoming the permanent headquarter of the Arab Court of Human Rights, which confirms their confidence in Bahrain in terms of its respect for human rights and its implementation of advanced rules and regulations . His Highness explained that the crisis experienced by the Kingdom despite its bitter taste, it has helped increase national spirit among the people who created a dazzling pageantry in the history of national action in Bahrain. The people deserve every thanks and appreciation. HRH the Prime Minister pointed out that the Bahraini political system emphasizes the freedom, openness and respect for human rights, which are guaranteed by the National Action Charter in 2001 and the Constitution of 2002. He emphasized that Bahrain has a initiated its constantly evolving democratic process aimed to satisfy the people\'s aspirations as expressed by the legislative authority, namely the Shura Council and the House of Representatives. The Bahraini Qatari relations were also discussed in the interview. HRH stressed that what connects the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Qatar is close fraternal relations that derives its strength and durability from historic familial ties linking the two brotherly peoples. His Highness pointed out that His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani , the Emir of the sisterly State of Qatar, undertakes a prominent role in promoting cooperation between the two nations as he presides Qatar’s side in the Bahraini–Qatari Joint Cooperation Committee . \"His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim is a young leader who has gained considerable experience over the past years. He is an experienced ruler and the son of an experienced ruler and is keen on developing his country’s relations with its neighbors. We wish him success in all his steps.\" HRH said. He expressed his confidence that relations between the two countries will go towards further rapprochement and understanding in the coming years for the benefit of the two brotherly peoples. He added that the causeway to link Bahrain and Qatar is a strategic project that would be a quantum leap in the level of bilateral relations between the two brother countries, and it will increase cooperation and communication, not at the level of Bahrain and Qatar alone, but also at the level of the Arabian Gulf as a whole. On the role of the Joint Peninsula Shield Force, HRH confirmed that the Peninsula Shield Forces between Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council undertake an important and vital role in defending each member country. This, he said, has remarkably been demonstrated in various circumstances, especially when they participated in the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. The Prime Minister also pointed out that when the troops came to Bahrain they contributed to the protection of vital installations and facilities, a role it did not traverse. HRH expressed his pride in the role of the Joint Peninsula Shield Forces as one of the fruits of the great cooperation and coordination between all GCC-member countries. The interview touched on a number of regional and international issues, including the Bahrain-Iranian relations. His Highness stressed that Bahrain has always welcomed friendly relations with any other country, in the framework of mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs in reciprocity. On Bahraini-American relations, His Highness stressed that relations with the United States are strong historical relations, based on mutual understanding and coordination. He said that \"We\'re keen to boost bilateral cooperation between the two countries in various fields. On Syria, His Royal Highness the Prime Minister emphasized Bahrain\'s unequivocal stance, which emphasizes the significance of ending the plight of Syrian people , and backs every step or initiative which leads to preserving Syrian blood and stopping bloodshed. On Iraq, HRH expressed his hope the grave conditions come to an end and that Iraq returns to play its natural role within the Arab nation, stressing that sectarian conflict opens the door to the breaking up of states and the obliteration of national identities. On the situation in Egypt, HRH the Prime Minister expressed his confidence that Egypt will surmount all the current challenges and difficulties, will regain its leading role in the region and the world and continue to support the Arab and Islamic issues.