Foreign minister meets Russian counterpart; hails Islamic Military Alliance

Moscow, Dec. 16 (BNA): Within the framework of his current official visit to the Russian Federation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov and reviewed with him the advanced cooperation and friendship ties which Bahrain and Russia have reached in all fields. They affirmed common keenness on further developing bilateral relations to move with them to the highest levels possible in order to serve the common interests of the two friendly countries. An agreement was signed between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Russian Federation on exemption of holders of diplomatic, special and service passports from entry visas to both countries. During the press conference, held after the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa affirmed Bahrain’s pride in the advanced level of bilateral relations and the momentum they gained following the visit paid by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to the Russian city of Sochi last year and the meeting he held with President Vladimir Putin at the presidential headquarters in the city. He said the visit had a very good impact on bilateral cooperation ties between the two countries along with the visit paid to the Russian city of Saint Petersburg by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme commander and First Prime Minister, following which many cooperation agreements have been signed by the two countries in various fields. The Minister said he was looking forward to the conclusion of a number of agreements in the upcoming period covering important domains such in the military field and in investment protection in addition to the reinforcement of the existing ties, especially in energy, tourism and investment, pointing out that the strategic dialogue between the GCC States and the Russian Federation was ongoing and that three phases have been completed and the 4th is set to be completed next year. The Minister outlined the issues he touched on with Sergey Lavrov, topped by terrorism where he affirmed that the formation of the 34-member state Islamic Military Coalition to fight terrorism, led by the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an important step towards the Islamic nations’ assumption of their responsibilities in combating the terrorists who target humanity and inflict harm on Islam and Muslims. This, he explained, renders the responsibility that the Islamic countries ought to shoulder in combating terrorism twofold , paying tribute to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the pioneering role it plays in confronting the various challenges facing the region and the world, affirming that the Kingdom of Bahrain’s decision to join the coalition is an indication of its continued policy in support of all the efforts aiming to curb terrorism. Regarding Yemen, the Minister said all agree on the need to succeed Geneva dialogue and achieve a comprehensive settlement capable of restoring security and stability in Yemen and improving the humanitarian situation in the country. Regarding Syria, the Minister said all sides agree on the need to seek a political solution and unify international efforts against the terrorism in there. Concerning Iran, the Minister said: "it is a neighboring country with which Bahrain has great relations but also has problems at the present time which are not from tour side, so we look forward to some positive steps to be taken by Iran towards Bahrain and the states of the region that consists of halting its interference in their internal affairs and starting to build mutual trust." "If Iran takes the initiative and makes a step in this regard and starts reinforcing relations, we will make two steps in the same direction," he emphasized. In addition, the two Ministers touched on a number of issues of common concern. For his part, Mr. Sergey Lavrov congratulated the Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa on the celebration of the National Day, thanking Shaikh Khalid for accepting the invitation to visit the Russian Federation. He also took pride in the depth of the Bahraini-Russian ties and expressed hope that bilateral relations will be more varied in all fields, hailing the talks he had with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed al Khalifa on a number of issues of common concern, most importantly the implementation of the agreement signed by the two countries. He noted in particular the need for acceleration of the agreements relating to energy and investment, the joint gas projects, supporting the Russian companies wishing to cooperate with Bahrain and continuing the efforts aimed to ease the visa system for businessmen of both countries. Mr. Lavrov also underlined the importance of the meeting of the Russian- Bahraini business Council in Manama next April and affirmed that communication between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Bahrain, besides being important on the mutual level, can also serve the broader cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Countries. He said three phases of the strategic dialogue with the GCC were completed and the 4th will be hosted by Russia next year in addition to other transparent encounters which will be held in the future and focus on the Middle East issues. Mr. Lavrov added that the frank talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa have drawn the views of both countries closer on all issues of common concern, including the formation of a broad front to combat terrorism and intensifying efforts to seek a political settlement in Syria and Yemen through Un-sponsored dialogues.