Foreign minister holds key meetings

Manama, Oct.27 (BNA): Foreign The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, met with the United Kingdom's Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Alistair Burt, and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence People and Veterans, Tobias Ellwood, on the sidelines of the 14th Manama Dialogue. He praised the distinguished level of relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Kingdom on various political, economic and other fields, as a result of the support of the two countries’ leaderships. He commended the efforts exerted by the United Kingdom to enhance security and stability in the region and its keenness to cooperate with regional states to find solutions that grant their prosperity. The UK official stressed the keenness of the United Kingdom to advance the historic relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain at various levels and to continue coordination on issues of common interest. He also praised the role of the Kingdom of Bahrain in promoting joint collective action for the establishment of security and peace. The minister also met his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono and lauded the development of bilateral relations, pointing out the importance of continuing exchanges of visits between the two countries’ officials in order to enhance mutual coordination regarding various issues of common interest. the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed Japan's aspiration to develop joint cooperation with the Kingdom of Bahrain in all fields for the benefit of both countries and friendly people. During the meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Senior Minister of State for Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore, Dr. Mohamad Maliki bin Osman, the course of relations between the two countries and means of developing them were discussed. The Minister of Foreign Affairs hailed the close and growing friendship between the two countries. He expressed the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain to strengthen its relations with the Republic of Singapore at all levels and to invest great opportunities to promote cooperation between the two countries and develop joint coordination to face the challenges posed by regional and international developments to achieve prosperity for both countries and people. For his part, Dr. Osman stressed the keenness of the Republic of Singapore to reinforce joint cooperation with the Kingdom of Bahrain, noting the importance of continuing meetings between officials of the two countries to achieve common goals. The foreign also met with the State Secretary for Global Affairs of the Republic of Romania, Monica GHEORGHIȚĂ, where he expressed the Kingdom’s aspiration to develop cooperation and coordination with the Republic of Romania in the political, economic and cultural fields, in the interest of the two countries and their friendly people. For her part, Mrs. GHEORGHIȚĂ stressed the Republic of Romania’s keenness to strengthen relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain for the benefit of both countries. During the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs received an invitation to visit the Republic of Romania from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Teodor-Viorel Meleşcanu. Shaikh Khalid also met with the Director of Strategic, Security and Disarmament Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, Nicolas Roche. The Foreign Minister praised the friendly relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the French Republic and its progress and development at various levels, stressing the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields to achieve the interests of both countries. He also noted the role of the French Republic in promoting security and peace at both the regional and international levels. For his part, Mr. Nicola Roche praised the close relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the French Republic, praising the Kingdom of Bahrain's efforts in the fight against terrorism, wishing the Kingdom of Bahrain continued progress and prosperity. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also met with the Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs - Political Director for the European External Action Service, Jean-Christophe BELLIARD. The Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the important role of the European Union in reinforcing peace and stability in the world. For his part, Mr. BELLIARD valued the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain to cooperate with the European Union, expressing aspiration for further cooperation between the two sides to achieve common interests.