London, UK— Bahrain and the UK have discussed way to boost bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and economic fields between the two countries.
The discussions were held between Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Lord Tariq Ahmad, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom.
Dr. Al Zayani is on a visit to London to attend the first Strategic Dialogue between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Kingdom.
The meeting between the two ministers discussed the friendship and partnership between Bahrain and the UK and means of further developing bilateral cooperation in political, economic, trade, investment and social aspects to serve the interests of the two countries.
The ministers also discussed developments in the Middle East, the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and international efforts for a ceasefire, protecting civilians, release of hostages, delivery of humanitarian aid, prospects of a just and permanent peace in the region and regional developments of mutual interest.
The meeting was attended by Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Kingdom; Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Alastair Long, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the delegation accompanying the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The ministers then co-chaired the meeting of the Bahrain-UK joint committee, attended by senior representatives from both countries.
Lord Ahmad welcomed the visit of Minister Al Zayani to the United Kingdom and holding the first Strategic Dialogue between the two countries, aimed at developing bilateral cooperation and strategic cooperation in various sectors. He commended the efforts of the ministerial committee’s taskforces to strengthen cooperation, noting the importance of holding the dialogue, especially amidst the current political circumstances in the region and the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Al Zayani said the Bahraini-UK working group has shown commitment to promoting bilateral partnership between the two countries, that is underpinned by mutual values and principles, to contribute to the development, security and stability of the two countries and the world.
The minister highlighted the outcome of the official visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in July which included the signing of a Strategic Investment and Collaboration Partnership to facilitate additional investment of more than £1 billion into the UK, support the diversification of Bahrain’s economy and drive greater cooperation between our countries in clean technology, business services and manufacturing.
He welcomed holding the first Strategic Dialogue between the two countries, which demonstrated their mutual commitment to cooperation, stability, prosperity and sustainable development.
Dr. Al Zayani touched on the developments in the Middle East and the ongoing escalation in Gaza, stressing the importance of condemning actions that incite hatred, extremism and violence; and urging the international community and relevant actors to seek a de-escalation, dialogue, a ceasefire and a permanent solution to this conflict. He affirmed Bahrain’s commitment to promoting mutual respect, tolerance, peaceful coexistence and dialogue in the world.
The two parties discussed cooperation within the framework of the joint action plan, as well as topics on the agenda of the meeting; including multilateral cooperation, developments of security cooperation and means of developing trade cooperation.
Representatives of entities involved in the meeting gave a briefing on the progress of initiatives and plans regarding security cooperation, trade exchange and human rights, in addition to efforts to boost bilateral cooperation.
The two sides agreed on increasing the level of bilateral cooperation from a joint committee to a strategic dialogue, to reflect the advancement of the status of cooperation between the two countries.