Manama, Jan. 22. (BNA) – On behalf of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Deputy Premier Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa received at his Majlis in Riffa today the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) José Graziano da Silva, currently on a visit to Bahrain to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation partnership.

Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa affirmed the interest of the government, led by HRH Premier, to consolidate cooperation with FAO and take advantage of its expertise in developing agriculture in order to support its efforts to achieve food security.

He praised the advanced level of Bahrain-FAO cooperation in the fields of training, capacity-building of Bahraini human cadres in the farming, livestock and fisheries.

He pointed out that the Kingdom’s vision regarding food security was focused on providing the requirements for increasing food production, and achieving self-sufficiency through developing farming techniques and increasing investments in farming projects inside and outside the kingdom.

FAO Director-General lauded the current level of cooperation with Bahrain, and commended the kingdom’s efforts in agricultural development and food security, expressing FAO’s readiness to provide it with all needed support.

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BNA 1215 GMT 2014/01/22