Manama, Dec. 8 (BNA)– Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa participated this evening, alongside his Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid, in a ceremony for laying the foundation stone of the Indian Embassy in Bahrain.

The Indian Minister for External Affairs welcomed in his speech the close and historic partnership between India and Bahrain, expressing his appreciation and gratitude to the Bahraini government for allocating the new site of the Indian Embassy in a vital area in the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister took pride in strong and historic bilateral relations between Bahrain and India which date back to centuries preceding the announcement of diplomatic relations in 1971.

He also noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain has always included and will continue to include people from different races, cultures, creeds and spectra; commending and appreciating the role of the Indian community and their contribution to the development movement in all sectors in Bahrain.

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BNA 1715 GMT 2013/12/08