Sir Tariq Ahmad, Minister for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and the United Nations, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Department and His Excellency Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in London today – formerly of Bahrain. He chaired the first session of the UK-Bahrain Strategic Dialogue, which was known as the UK Joint Working Group. This name change reflects the important relationship between the two countries, the strategic nature and the importance of the twice-yearly Ministerial Forum.
During the meeting, the Ministers reviewed key areas of cooperation between the UK and the Kingdom of Bahrain, noting the common history and strong people-to-people ties that underpin this. Ministers welcomed and reviewed the outcomes of the visit of His Highness Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, in July 2023. This included the signing of a Strategic Investment and Cooperation Partnership to facilitate over £1 billion of additional investment in Bahrain. The UK should support the diversification of Bahrain’s economy and further cooperation between our countries in clean technology, business services and manufacturing.
Discussions at the Strategic Dialogue covered a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including human rights, security and defense cooperation, and mutual trade and investment opportunities. A number of foreign policy issues were also discussed.
Regarding the current crisis in Israel and Gaza, Ministers called for the immediate release of all hostages and condemned all violence against civilians. Ministers stressed the importance of all parties complying with international humanitarian law, including taking all possible precautions to minimize harm to civilians. Ministers also called for a moratorium on humanitarian assistance to facilitate the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance to civilians most in need in Gaza, announced an additional $100 million by the GCC, and announced the Kingdom of Bahrain’s National Humanitarian Campaign. welcomed the announcement of more than $18 million in additional support. aid, and an additional £30m of UK humanitarian aid. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that provides justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians, and urgently worked with partners to support compliance with international humanitarian law and regional stability. We reconfirmed that we are cooperating with the
On Russia/Ukraine, Ministers stressed the need to reach a just and sustainable peace in line with the United Nations Charter. Ministers reaffirmed the importance of ensuring the protection of Ukraine’s ports and grain infrastructure to enable Ukraine to continue exporting agricultural products. Leaders expressed their support for all efforts aimed at facilitating the export of grain and all food and humanitarian goods to ensure broader global food security.