HM King’s historic Turkey visit heralds closer ties, cooperation

Manama, Sep. 24 (BNA): The official visit by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to Turkey heralded an era of more robust relations and closer cooperation between the two countries, the Turkish ambassador to Bahrain has said. “It was a very successful, fruitful and historical visit in all senses, which will have highly positive effects on the brotherly close relations between Turkey and Bahrain in all fields in the forthcoming period,” Hatun Demirer said. HM King Hamad visited Turkey on August 25-28 for official talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior Turkish officials. He was the first Arab leader to visit Ankara and Istanbul following the failed coup attempt in July. “The timing of the visit was very important,” the ambassador told Bahrain News Agency (BNA). “As is known, in Turkey we faced a bloody coup d’état attempt by the ‘Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization’ which aimed at deposing our democratically elected government. His Majesty the King was the first leader from the region and the Arab world to pay an official visit to Turkey. Bahrain showed to the world its principled stance in strongly rejecting any attempt to undermine the constitutional legitimacy in Turkey under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish government. This visit was as a genuine reflection of the solid and brotherly relations between the two countries and it will always have a special place both in the history of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Bahrain and in the hearts and minds of the Turkish nation. The visit and Bahrain’s stance will not be forgotten.” Ambassador Demirer said that it was a full-fledged official visit. “Following the official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, the two leaders, H.E. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa held a tete-a-tete meeting. Then, the two leaders co-chaired a session of official talks in the presence of delegations from both countries during which besides the strong bilateral relations, regional and international issues and developments were taken up. Ways to develop further bilateral relations in all fields were given special importance particularly with a specific emphasis on the economic and commercial fields. The Turkish side called for the Turkish-Bahraini Joint Economic Committee to convene during the last quarter of this year to expand cooperation and boost the bilateral trade volume,” she said. “Following the official talks, and in the presence of President Erdoğan and His Majesty King Hamad, five new agreements and protocols in the fields of legal cooperation, youth and sports, air transportation, cultural and education cooperation were signed with a view to further strengthening the legal background of our bilateral relations. After the conclusion of the programme in Ankara, His Majesty and the accompanying delegation paid a visit to Istanbul. Our government and nation were honored with the presence of His Majesty the King during the opening ceremony of the third bridge spanning the Bosphorus Strait connecting Asia and Europe, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge.” The 1.4 km long and 59 meters wide Yavuz Sultan Selim has eight vehicle lanes and two high-speed rail lines. It is the third bridge to span the Bosphorus Strait and ranks among the world's biggest suspension bridges, in terms of width of deck, height of pylons as well as length of span. Ambassador Demirer said she was proud and pleased HM King Hamad took part in the opening ceremony. “As the Ambassador of Turkey to the Kingdom of Bahrain, I would like to thank the Royal Court, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Ankara and all the other relevant Bahraini authorities for their close cooperation and for the constant and tireless efforts extended by their staff to our embassy in preparing this historical visit,” she said.