India and Bahrain on Wednesday agreed to further strengthen their historic ties, including in areas of defence and maritime security, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Bahraini counterpart discussed the entire gamut of bilateral issues as well as regional and global matters of mutual interest.
Jaishankar arrived on Tuesday on the first leg of his six-day three-nation tour to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Seychelles.
His two-day maiden visit to Bahrain is seen as important as it comes in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc across the world.
The external affairs minister held delegation-level talks with his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani during which the two sides discussed the entire gamut of bilateral issues as well as regional and global matters of mutual interest including cooperation and coordination in dealing with post-Covid challenges, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“They agreed to further strengthen the historic India-Bahrain ties including in areas of defence and maritime security, space technology, trade and investment, infrastructure, IT, FinTech, health, hydrocarbon and renewable energy,” the statement said.
Jaishankar renewed invitation to his Bahraini counterpart for visiting India for the 3rd India-Bahrain High Joint Commission meeting in the next few months.
He called on Bahrain’s newly appointed Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who is also the Crown Prince and the Deputy Supreme Commander.
He conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings to Prince Salman on his appointment as the Prime Minister of Bahrain.
