India, Bahrain deepens bilateral ties by signing three pacts

Manama, July 16: Taking a step further in strengthening the bilateral relations between two countries, India and Bahrain on Sunday signed three MoUs in the field of Renewable energy, healthcare and relaxation of diplomatic visa rules.

 

Notably, the three MoUs were signed in the presence of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Bahrain counterpart Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa after the two leaders co-chaired 2nd India-Bahrain High Joint Commission meeting. The three MoUs including Agreement on Exemption from Short Stay Visa for Holders of Diplomatic and Official/Special Passports, Agreement on Renewable Energy and Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Healthcare.

During the meeting, reciprocating the warm sentiments expressed by Bahraini foreign minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Sushma Swaraj expressed appreciation for the gracious hospitality extended to her and the accompanying delegation. She recalled her visits to Bahrain in September 2014 and January 2016, during which she had an opportunity to meet and discuss range of bilateral and regional matters of mutual interest with the Bahraini top leadership.

The two sides highlighted the importance of the regular meetings of well-established bilateral mechanisms and high-level bilateral visits, recalling the landmark State visit of His Majesty the King of Bahrain to India in February 2014, which laid a strong foundation to build a closer partnership between the two countries.

The two sides recognized that the fourth round of Foreign Office Consultations held on 14 November 2016 in Manama provided an opportunity to take stock of entire gamut of bilateral relations and prepare the necessary groundwork for the holding of the second-High Joint Commission meeting. Both sides decided that the next round of such consultations would be held in New Delhi in the first half of 2019.

During the meeting, the two Ministers underlined their close bilateral ties, deep-rooted in shared history and cultural affinities, sustained and nourished through growing economic linkages, multi-faceted cooperation and close people-to-people contacts. The wide-ranging discussions were held in a friendly and forward-looking atmosphere, with useful exchanges of views on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

Khalid praised the contribution of the Indian community settled in Bahrain towards the economic development of the Gulf Kingdom. Swaraj later called on Prime minister Khalifa bin Salman and held discussions on consolidating the "valuable" bilateral relationship. During the visit, Sushma Swaraj also gifted a box of books called 'Bharat ek Priychay' to the National Library in Manama.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet, “Ms Swaraj had a warm exchange of views on furthering cooperation in science & technology, renewable energy and other areas when she called on His Majesty the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.” Swaraj later left for India after concluding her "successful" visit to Bahrain, Kumar tweeted.

Importantly, Sushma Swaraj began her engagements in Manama on Saturday by meeting her counterpart and a close friend of India, Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid. The two leaders co-chaired 2nd India-Bahrain High Joint Commission. The first meeting of the High Joint Commission (HJC) was held in New Delhi in February 2015.

India and Bahrain underlined close bilateral ties, deep-rooted in a shared history and cultural affinities, sustained and nourished through growing economic linkages, multi-faceted cooperation and close people-to-people contacts, he said. The Indian community of about 3.5 to 4 lakh people forms nearly one-fourth of Bahrain's population. India is Bahrain's fifth largest trading partner.