Foreign Minister meets Minister for Asia, Middle East at UK’s FCDO

Manama, July 3 (BNA): Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, met here today the Minister for Asia and the Middle East at the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Amanda Milling, who is currently visiting the Kingdom. The Minister lauded the efforts of the UK Minister which contributed to the success of the 14th meeting of the Bahraini-British Ministerial Working Group, held in London last month. He also expressed the Kingdom’s appreciation of the UK announcement of its intention to launch the new electronic travel permit system as of the beginning of next year. Dr. Al-Zayani praised the friendly cooperation between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the UK, noting the recent joint statement on the launch of the Free Trade Agreement negotiations between the GCC and the UK, which reflects their mutual keenness to further enhance strategic partnership in the interest of both sides. The UK Minister for Asia and the Middle East praised the close relations between the two friendly countries and peoples, highlighting their cooperation at various levels. The two sides discussed the longstanding relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Kingdom in addition to regional and international developments and issues of common concern.