Foreign Minister: Crown Prince’s visit to Russia a milestone

Moscow-May1(BNA)Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa commended bilateral relations bonding Bahrain and Russia. “Multi-faceted political relations have been growing steadily over the past twenty-five years”, he said, stressing particularly the coordination with Russia, a UN permanent member with much leverage and a key player in the international arena. He was speaking last night on the sidelines of the meeting between His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a statement last night, he stressed the crucial importance of the meeting which focused on political relations in total frankness and clarity. “The meeting between HRH the Crown Prince and the Russian President has laid another milestone for relations bonding the two friendly countries”, he said, stressing Bahrain’s keen interest in pursuing consultation regarding all regional issues. He underlined ongoing economic cooperation, crediting HM the King’s crucial visit to Russia in 2008 for ushering in new era in bilateral relations. The minister said that the visit which concluded yesterday would be a major boost for Bahraini-Russian relations. He noted particularly the participation of a high-level economic and business delegation which took part in the Bahraini-Russian Business Forum. AHN