Bahrain will remain a country of freedom and tolerant co-existence between different religions, cultures and ideas, His Majesty King Hamad said in his speech at 40th National Day and Accession Day celebrations ceremony.

His Majesty delivered the heartfelt message of genuine hope for Bahrain and its people at the celebrations held at Sakhir Palace in the presence of HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander.

'Such openness will remain, God willing, the basic characteristic of our people and our institutions, and we will all endeavour to preserve it by ensuring pluralism in all areas of public life,' His Majesty said in his keynote address.

'We are confident that the next few days will reflect the true picture of the situation in our country. Only truth will remain,' he added.

His Majesty welcomed the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) and emphasised the kingdom's commitment to implementing its recommendations.

'We have mentioned before that any government that is genuinely interested in reforms and progress must realise the significance and usefulness of objective and constructive criticism,' he pointed out.

'We thank our fellow Bahrainis who supported our decision and all the countries that welcomed it.

'We wish the National Commission tasked with implementing the recommendations in the BICI report success in carrying out its assignments.

'We direct our government, in this regard, to co-operate with the commission on implementing the recommendations,' the King said.

His Majesty expressed pride at the consensus reached by all sections of the society during the National Dialogue.

The King praised loyal citizens for their commitment to national unity and respect for the rule of law.

'We emphasise that we extend our hand to every Bahraini loyal to this beloved country and acting within the rule of law and order.

'We also praise the role of the national security forces in maintaining the safety and integrity of the country against all threats and risks,' His Majesty said.-TradeArabia News Service