MANAMA, Bahrain: The 2nd Meeting of the Bahrain-Pakistan Joint Ministerial Commission was held on July 28-29, 2021 in Manama.
The Bahraini side was chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al Zayani while the Pakistani side was chaired by the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
For the establishment of the Joint Ministerial Commission, an agreement was signed between the two countries in 2014.
Dr. Al Zayani welcomed the Pakistani delegation and expressed his keen interest in furthering the deep-rooted bilateral relationship between the two Countries.
The Bahrain foreign minister recalled the visit of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa to Pakistan in February 2017, co-chairing the 1st Joint Ministerial Commission meeting held in Islamabad; during which a range of bilateral and regional matters of mutual interest was discussed with the Pakistani senior leadership.
Dr. Al Zayani underlined the importance of establishing an open and enabling environment for business and economic cooperation so that the potential for development between the two countries could be fully harnessed.
The foreign minister of Bahrain also highlighted the two countries’ efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, from its very outset, as an outstanding example of their close and effective cooperation, noting the efficient work to repatriate citizens back in 2020, the free access to vaccination for the Pakistani expatriate community, and the ongoing care and assistance provided to Pakistanis in Bahrain.
For his part, the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi thanked the Bahraini side for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to His Excellency and his delegation.
Qureshi highlighted the longstanding relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, characterized by a spirit of friendship and solidarity.
The foreign minister further observed that the experience and expertise acquired by both countries in many spheres over time could be shared for their mutual benefit. He emphasized the need to expand economic ties between the two countries.
The two sides highlighted the importance of the regular meetings of established bilateral mechanisms and high-level bilateral visits, recalling the successful visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain by Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Imran Khan on December 16, 2019, and the landmark State visit of His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa to Pakistan in February 2014, which laid a strong foundation to build a close partnership between the two countries, and the visit of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to Pakistan in December 2006.
The meeting focused on bilateral cooperation in various sectors including political, economic, commerce, finance & banking, industry, public health, overseas employment, higher education, science & technology, information, culture & arts, agriculture & livestock, and technical cooperation.
Both countries held fruitful discussions and agreed to work together for B2B interaction between businessmen of two sides, finalization of MoU between Trade Development Authority Pakistan and Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority, cooperation for joint investment in the industrial sector and holding expert-level meetings of joint working groups in agriculture, Trade & Investment, labour and manpower, oil and gas sector and IT sector.
On the sidelines of JMC, an MoU between the Bahrain Development Board (EDB) and the Board of Investment of Pakistan was also signed to promote bilateral investment between the two friendly countries.
Both sides resolved to implement the decisions reached during the 2nd Session expeditiously and finalize at the earliest, the MoUs/Agreements under consideration.
Both sides agreed in principle to hold the 3rd Meeting of the Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission in Islamabad in 2022.
