Sushma Swaraj embarks on two-day visit to Bahrain; Bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest on agenda

New Delhi, July 14: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday embarked on a two-day visit to Bahrain i.e today and tomorrow with an aim to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and inaugurate new Chancery-cum-Residential complex.

 

In a statement, MEA said, "External Affairs Minister, Smt Sushma Swaraj is paying an official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain on 14-15 July 2018 to Co-Chair the 2nd High Joint Commission (HJC) Meeting with Bahraini Foreign Minister H.E. Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa covering a range of issues including, inter alia, political, economic, security and cultural ties. The first meeting of HJC was held in New Delhi in February, 2015.”

The MEA also said, “During the visit, EAM will also meet with the Bahraini leadership to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and inaugurate new Chancery-cum-Residential complex.” “This visit will provide an opportunity to further cement our mutually beneficial bilateral ties with Bahrain,” it added.

BACKGROUND:

Bilaterally, India enjoys close and multifaceted ties with Bahrain, underpinned by regular exchange of high-level visits and extensive people-to-people contacts. Bahrain is an important partner for India in the Gulf region. Further 3,50,000 Indian nationals, the largest expatriate community in Bahrain, and more than 3000 Indian-owned/joint ventures have been contributing to the development of Bahrain.