Bahrain and Qatar keen to strengthen bilateral ties

TDT | Manama                                                   

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, emphasised the importance of further strengthening the Bahrain-Qatar bilateral relations to meet joint aspirations and to benefit both countries and their peoples.

HRH Prince Salman was speaking as he met yesterday with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, HE Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, at Gudaibiya Palace.

The Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Minister of Interior, HE General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, the Minister of Finance and National Economy, HE Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, and a number of senior officials also attended the meeting.

HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister and HE Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman reviewed the Bahrain-Qatar partnership and ways to further bolster cooperation. His Royal Highness expressed his best wishes of progress and prosperity for Qatar.

The developments on the Bahrain-Qatar Causeway Project were reviewed, during which both parties directed the concerned authorities to complete the necessary plans to initiate the implementation of the project.

The Qatar-Bahrain Bridge, also known as the Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge, is a long-discussed bridge that will connect the two GCC countries. The bridge will connect northern Qatar with the eastern coast of Bahrain. The bridge was originally planned as a causeway, but construction plans stalled due to the Qatar diplomatic crisis and Bahrain's siding with Saudi Arabia. In March 2022, Bahrain called for work to restart on the causeway.

Important issues

During the meeting, regional and international developments of common interest were discussed, including developments in the Gaza Strip, where the importance of halting the war, the protection of civilians’ lives, the release of hostages and detainees, and the necessity of opening secure, humanitarian corridors to deliver aid and assistance into the Gaza Strip in line with international humanitarian laws, was emphasised.

A lunch banquet was then held in honour of the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs’ visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain. HE Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman expressed his gratitude for HRH Prince Sal[1]man’s support in furthering Bahrain-Qatar relations.