Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Eli Cohen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, held a press conference today on the occasion of the Israeli Minister’s visit to Bahrain.
Dr. Al Zayani welcomed Foreign Minister Cohen and his accompanying delegation to Bahrain, expressing confidence that this visit will be another milestone in the development of ties between the two countries and peoples.
He said that His Royal Highness the Deputy King and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, had received Foreign Minister Cohen, and stressed the approach of the Kingdom of Bahrain under the leadership of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, based on promoting security and prosperity and consolidating peace for the benefit of all, in addition to the importance of further promoting relations between Bahrain and Israel in various fields to achieve common aspirations.
Dr. Al Zayani added that HRH the Deputy King and Crown Prince stressed the importance of supporting efforts to consolidate security and promote peace, development and prosperity in the region for the benefit of all, based on the firm belief of the Kingdom of Bahrain that dialogue and a peaceful and civilised approach are imperative to settle regional and international conflicts and to guarantee human rights to security, development and prosperity. He reiterated Bahrain’s firm position in support of achieving a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace that guarantees the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and leads to stability, development and prosperity for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples and everyone in the region.
The Foreign Minister welcomed the opportunity of holding a fruitful and constructive discussion session with his Israeli counterpart, which reflects the common desire to promote bilateral relations and develop cooperation to serve common interests in the economic, investment, trade and other vital fields.
The talks also focused on the importance of deepening bilateral relations and expanding joint action in the coming months and years, he said, noting that they reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the various memorandums of understanding signed between the two sides, and exchanged views on areas through which they can promote common interests and achieve the objectives of the Abraham Accords and the Declaration of Peace.
He added that the two sides reviewed the progress made after the signing of the Joint Warm Peace Strategy last year, and explored ways to expand the scope of joint action in areas including trade, investment, technological exchange, training, and promotion of tourism.
The two sides discussed the growing cooperation among the countries of the region to promote stability, peace, and prosperity in the Middle East, he said, stressing the importance of working in good faith to achieve security, stability, and genuine prosperity for the region and its people. They also exchanged views on the political and security situation in the region and on the conflicts that continue to affect the interests of the Middle East and its people, stressing the need to redouble efforts to promote regional peace and security.
He added that the two sides stressed that the platform of the Negev Forum can be a major engine of security and prosperity throughout the region, and an example of what can be achieved through practical cooperation and goodwill focusing on results among like-minded countries. He said the two sides reaffirmed their determination that the Forum and its working groups will succeed and that all people of the region will benefit from this in-depth cooperation.
The Foreign Minister continued that the new Embassy of the State of Israel in the Kingdom of Bahrain was officially inaugurated today in the presence of Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, considering that this historic step is another important milestone in relations between the two countries, and reflects their support for the diplomatic efforts made by the embassy to continue to develop bilateral relations.
He proceeded that during the visit, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on joint cooperation in the field of culture, a memorandum of understanding on banking and financial cooperation, and two joint statements, the first on the establishment of a training program and the second on joint cooperation in youth issues expressing his hope that these steps will give new impetus to the promotion of joint cooperation and the development of bilateral relations to serve the interests of both countries.
Minister Cohen expressed his pleasure in visiting Bahrain, as it is the first country he visited from the signatories to the Abraham Accords, praising the hospitality and goodwill he and the accompanying delegation have received. He stressed the importance of continuing joint action and cooperation between the two countries in various fields and developing coordination on various areas of common interest, in a way that meets the aspirations of both sides.
The Israeli Foreign Minister said that this visit coincides with the third anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, in accordance with the signing of the Abraham Accords, which confirms the interest of the two countries to spread a culture of peace and promote security, stability and peace in the Middle East. He expressed the need to continue to work to increase the volume of trade exchange between the two countries and to develop cooperation in various commercial, cultural and other fields.
He said that Israel attaches great importance to promoting relations between people, noting that the potential for trade growth between the two countries is possible, including increasing the volume of bilateral tourism. He expressed his appreciation for the joint cooperation between the two countries on the international arena and the exchange of support in international forums. He added that the two countries can start implementing joint activities at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), explaining that climate issues are particularly important in the region and around the world, expressing Israel’s readiness to cooperate with friends and partners to promote positive changes.
Source: Bahrain News Agency