Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa travelled to Pakistan March 18th-20th, making him the first Bahraini king to travel to the country in four decades. The two sides used the visit to improve co-operation efforts.

Bahraini Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Hamad Al Khalifa, House of Representatives Speaker Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Dhahrani, Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh, National Guard Commander Lt. Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa and other top political and business leaders were part of the royal entourage.

Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, after meeting with the king, encouraged using the political goodwill and fraternal bonds that exist between the two countries to forge a strong economic and trade partnership, a statement from Hussain’s office said.

“Pakistan is very interested in signing a free trade agreement with the Gulf Co-operation Council, and Bahrain should help in early conclusion of the agreement,” he said.

The two countries enjoy close relations based on mutual trust and understanding, Pakistani Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said while welcoming King Hamad.

Boosting economic ties

Nawaz Sharif and the king on March 18th attended a ceremony where the two countries inked six agreements.

The pacts included the establishment of a joint ministerial commission for bilateral co-operation, an agreement for the promotion and protection of investment, co-operation in food safety, an air service agreement, co-operation between their interior ministries and co-operation in power and water.

The countries’ foreign ministers also signed memoranda of understanding on labour and occupational training. The agreements will facilitate the training of Pakistani citizens for employment in Bahrain.

Bahrain’s Industry and Commerce Ministry on March 19th conducted the Bahrain-Pakistan Business Forum, where economic managers and business leaders from both countries highlighted business and investment opportunities in their respective countries.

Bahraini government officials and Pakistani investors signed 17 memoranda of understanding. The agreements were aimed at venturing into new areas and expanding existing facilities set up in Bahrain by Pakistani investors.

The annual volume of bilateral trade stood at 39.2 billion rupees ($401 million) prior to the trip, Bahraini Minister of Industry and Commerce Hassan Fakhro said at the forum. “A lot more needed to be done to improve the dismal figures of bilateral trade,” he said.

Improving defence, standing against terrorism

King Hamad also used the trip to improve Bahraini defence links to Pakistan.

The two countries have a history of co-operating on defence matters, with Pakistan having aided Bahrain in setting up its navy, according to Pakistani English-language newspaper Dawn.

King Hamad, his delegation and Nawaz Sharif on March 19th visited Joint Services Headquarters in Rawalpindi — a rare opportunity for foreign leaders — and interacted with commanders from various services, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations said.

King Hamad recognised the various links with Pakistan, noting that solid relations and strategic alliances built over the years were based on the principles of Islamic brotherhood and common destiny.

“Strong relations […] join our two friendly countries and boost our confidence in working together to expand co-operation to cover many areas — including the industries of military manufacturing and training,” Gulf Daily News quoted him as telling the leaders.

The king also commended Pakistan’s fight against terrorism, saying that the two countries would stand united to protect their societies and their peoples’ achievements.

“We praise your role in the fight against terrorism to achieve security and stability in our region,” he said. “We appreciate Pakistan’s role in securing regional stability.”

“Both sides denounced terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed their desire to strengthen their co-operation in combating terrorism at both the bilateral level and within the multilateral system of the UN,” their joint statement said.

The two countries also agreed to hold a security dialogue annually and decided to improve the sharing of information, intelligence and threat assessments.