Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan arrived in Bahrain on Thursday on a two-day visit, during which he held discussions with several ministers of Bahrain and parliamentarians and further inaugurated the India-Bahrain Dance and Music Festival organized by Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam and the Embassy of India with the support of Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA).
MoS Muraleedharan met with Bahraini Minister of Labour Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan to examine potential possibilities of cooperation between the two countries. MoS Muraleedharan and Humaidan emphasized on skilling during their meeting and expressed gratitude for the well-being of Indian workers and professionals in Bahrain.
MoS Muraleedharan also met with Osama Bin Ahmed Khalaf Al Asfoor, Bahrain’s Minister of Social Development, to address issues of mutual interest and to thank the Kingdom for its assistance to the Indian community. In another meeting, MoS Muraleedharan met with Bahrain’s Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, to address various areas of the broad collaboration, including regional as well as multilateral developments. He also met the Finance Minister of Bahrain, Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
The minister was returning to Bahrain for the second time, having previously visited in August 2021.
MoS Muraleedharan interacted with the Dy Speaker, Council of Representatives (Lower House), Abdulnabi Salman, and various other parliamentarians during the reception, which was hosted by the community and friends of India in Bahrain, as said in a statement.
As tweeted by MoS Muraleedharan, in Manama, Bahrain, he met industrious Indian volunteers and social workers who support the Indian community in close collaboration with the Indian Embassy. He recognized their unwavering support.
MoS Muraleedharan met several Indian and Bahraini businessmen at an event that was held on Friday in Bahrain. He thanked them via Twitter for their contribution towards the promotion of economic ties and bilateral trade. He met them at an event organized by the Bis Society in Manama, Bahrain. He further urged businesses to utilize the emerging opportunities of business in India. In Manama, MoS Muraleedharan also met with representatives from several Indian associations in Bahrain. He admired their commitment to serving the Indian community.
MoS Muraleedharan and Bahrain’s Ministers expressed satisfaction with the recent improvement in bilateral ties. Ministerial-level visits have been exchanged on a regular basis. Bilateral trade has grown rapidly and is estimated to exceed USD 2 billion in FY 22–23.
The Minister of State commended Bahrain’s government for providing exceptional care to the Indian population, particularly Indian workers and professionals. MoS Muraleedharan spoke with about 500 Indian school students during an event hosted at the Indian School of Bahrain.
He also went to areas that highlight Bahrain’s rich cultural legacy and people-to-people relations, such as the renowned Bab al Bahrain, ‘Little India’ in Manama souq, and Srinathji temple. Both sides decided to convene the sixth round of Foreign Office Consultations at the Secretary level as soon as possible and to maintain the momentum of high-level political visits, according to the statement.
