The visit follows agreements in the declaration to support peace and the Declaration of Abraham Principles between Bahrain and Israel signed in Washington on September 15…reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
The Kingdom of Bahrain has sent its first official government delegation to Israel on Wednesday as the two countries look to broaden cooperation that Washington has promoted as an anti-Iran alliance, the media reported.
Bahrain’s foreign minister, Abdullatif Al-Zayani headed the delegation aboard Gulf Air flight GF972 – a reference to Israel’s telephone country code – on the airline’s first commercial flight to Tel Aviv, the Arab News reported.
According to the report, Al-Zayani was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem.
The US government under President Donald Trump has been brokering agreements with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan toward normalizing their relations with Israel.
Time has come to depart from the conflicts and instability that afflicted the Middle East for decades and pursue other policies to reach a comprehensive solution that achieves prosperity and development for all, Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani has said.
Al Zayani made the statement as an official Bahraini delegation arrived in Tel Aviv on the first visit of its kind to Israel.
The delegation, headed by Al Zayani, was welcomed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, ministers and officials.
“This visit is a courageous step taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain in line with the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to achieve security, stability and prosperity, with the Kingdom playing its pioneering role to achieve peace in the region and in the world,” Al Zayani said in a statement.
“The Kingdom of Bahrain, with this historic visit to the State of Israel, confirms its policy of commitment to peace as a strategic option through which frameworks for initiatives to promote international cooperation, stability, peace and prosperity in the Middle East region are launched.”
This visit is a strategic start to enhance cooperation between Bahrain and Israel in a way that achieves their shared interests, particularly that it will contribute to launching many cooperation initiatives in various fields and will mark a starting point for other anticipated visits, he added.
“Over the past decades, the Middle East has witnessed conflicts and instability and time has come for us to pursue other policies to reach a comprehensive solution that achieves prosperity and development for all,” Al Zayani said.
The visit follows agreements in the declaration to support peace and the Declaration of Abraham Principles between Bahrain and Israel signed in Washington on September 15.
Bahrain King in UAE
Meanwhile, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, arrived in the UAE on Tuesday. He is accompanied by H.H. Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs.
Upon his arrival at the Presidential Flight Terminal in Abu Dhabi, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was received by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Present were H.H. Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council, H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Zayed Al Nahyan, H.H. Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination, ZHO, and Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to Bahrain.
They welcomed King Hamad and expressed sincere condolences to him on the death of Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
Sheikh Mohamed and King Hamad joined on Wednesday by King Abdulla II Ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, for a tripartite summit in Abu Dhabi.
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