‘Basic pillar of diplomacy’

TDT | Manama

Bahrain is keen on establishing a business council with Italy to build economic partnerships and diversify direct investments between the two countries.

This was according to Bahrain Ambassador to Italy Nasser bin Mohammed Al Balooshi who stressed that the Kingdom is looking to improve trade and economic exchange which is a “basic pillar of successful diplomacy.” The envoy was guest yesterday at Bahrain Radio’s talk show, “the Diplomatic Dialogue”, where he lauded the depth of the Kingdom’s relations with the US, France and Italy, and affirmed the great positive economic impact of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between Bahrain and the US.

Ambassador Al Balooshi, referring to Bahrain’s prominent diplomatic status, said that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s vision on comprehensive development has facilitated the work of Bahraini diplomats all over the world.

He indicated that Bahrain boasts distinguished features across various fields, including robust infrastructure, religious freedom and adoption of human values, noting that the Kingdom plays a major role in firmly countering terrorism.

The ambassador talked about his rich career, which is characterised by a combination of economy, diplomacy and multilingualism, as he is fluent in several languages, including Arabic, English, French, Italian and Spanish. He has also written many articles and research papers related to economic development and technology transfer. Dr Al Balooshi was granted the “Medal of Honour” by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in 2013, the “Officier de La Legion D’Honneur Medal” by French President, Jacques Chirac, in 2003, and the “Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa Medal of Honour” by HM King Hamad in 2002. He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics with honors, and held many key posts.

He served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Advisor to former Minister, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, for Political and Economic Affairs. He was also the kingdom’s Ambassador to France Non-Resident Ambassador to the Holy See, Switzerland and Spain.

He also served as Bahrain’s Ambassador to the US and Non-Resident Ambassador to Argentina and Canada, the Kingdom’s Economic Representative to the the US, and a speaker at the Sixth Annual Monterey Congressional Forum on Trade Policy in Monterey, California and provided testimony before the International Trade Commission (ITC) in Washington DC. He was also the Executive Director of Management Services at the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) between 1992 and 2003.