Christodoulides to visit Bahrain to strengthen ties
President Nikos Christodoulides will pay an official visit to Bahrain on Sunday and Monday following an invitation from the country’s king, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Saturday.
The visit forms part of the government’s strategy to strengthen ties between Cyprus and the Gulf states and reflects a “political will” to upgrade cooperation with Bahrain at political, economic, energy, cultural and defence levels.
“Bilateral cooperation has been developing steadily and systematically in recent years,” culminating in the decision to open a Cypriot embassy in Manama at the end of 2023, as well as in the president’s current official visit, Letymbiotis said.
Cyprus and Bahrain have also drawn up a joint action plan setting out actions to deepen cooperation between them.
Eight agreements and memoranda of understanding are expected to be signed, covering sectors including education, culture, tourism, military cooperation and search and rescue.
This “reflects in practice the dynamics of this relationship and confirms the will of the two sides to transform political dialogue into concrete and measurable cooperation,” Letymbiotis added.
During his stay, after an official welcoming ceremony, Christodoulides will meet King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at Gudaibiya Palace, followed by expanded talks between the two delegations.
These talks will focus on bilateral relations, regional and international developments, the Cyprus problem and EU-Bahrain relations.
The president will also brief his counterparts on the priorities of the Cyprus presidency of the Council of the EU, with emphasis on strengthening the bloc’s relations with the Middle East and Gulf states.
Christodoulides will attend the Cyprus-Bahrain Business Forum and visit Bahrain’s State Investment Fund, where discussions will focus on boosting economic, business and investment relations, including attracting quality investments and exploring potential collaborations in sectors of mutual interest.