Bahrain visit historic, promising, Seychelles President says

Manama, Jan. 16 (BNA): Danny Faure, the President of Seychelles, said his visit to Bahrain is "very good' and "historic". "This is is a very good visit, a historic visit and we are happy to be here," President Faure told Bahrain News Agency (BNA) on the second day of his visit to the Kingdom as he visited the Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF).. "The future of relations and cooperation between Bahrain and Seychelles is promising." On Wednesday, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received President Faure and the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and cooperation mainly in the economic, trade and tourism fields. HM King Hamad and President Faure emphasized keenness to avail of the promising opportunities available in both countries to boost their relations and cooperation. Bahrain and Seychelles signed an agreement on visa requirements exemptions for holders of diplomatic, private or official passports and a general cooperation agreement between the two governments. They also signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Central Bank of Bahrain and the Central Bank of Seychelles, and a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of tourism. President Faure hailed the signing of the accords, as they augur for closer ties between the two countries and their people. He said that Bahrain and Seychelles, as two island nations, have high communalities and therefore work together closely. "As regards the environment for example, we are island development nations and we face common challenges. We will work together, and in terms of our development as countries, we will continue to develop. We share the same vision for the region and the world," he said. During the visit to Bahrain, President Faure and his delegation attended a banquet hosted in their honor by His Royal Highness Prime Minister’s Advisor HH Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. HH Shaikh Salman stressed the importance of exchanging visits between senior officials to expand the prospects of cooperation and achieve common interests. During the BIBF visit, President Faure was briefed on Bahrain's expertise in the economic and the financial and banking sectors, especially that the Kingdom has successfully embraced Islamic financial and banking institutions and has gained outstanding capabilities in developing their performance and diversifying their options, alongside the traditional financial and banking institutions.