President Zardari Visits Bahrain to Strengthen Ties

President Asif Ali Zardari arrives in Bahrain for a four-day official visit focusing on trade, defense, investment, and cultural cooperation.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday for a four-day official visit. The visit is meant to make relations stronger between Pakistan and Bahrain, especially in trade, defense, and security. It also focuses on investment, economic growth, and people-to-people connections.

When he arrived, President Zardari was welcomed by Bahrainians National Guard Commander Sheikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. Also present were Bahraini Ambassador to Pakistan Mohammed Ibrahim Abdul Qadir and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Bahrain Saqib Rauf. First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari is accompanying the president during the visit.

“The visit is meant to make relations stronger between both Country especially in trade, defense, and security.”

During the visit, President Zardari will meet King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. They will discuss ways to work together in politics, economy, and development. The president will also speak at a reception hosted by Bahrainian’s Economic Development Board, where he will talk about Pakistan’s economic potential and explore ways to increase trade and investment between the two countries.

Soon after arriving, President Zardari also met with the commander of it’s National Guard. The Foreign Office said the visit will include important meetings on issues of mutual interest, both bilateral and international. The trip aims to strengthen both relations and create more opportunities in trade, defense, security, and cultural exchanges.

This visit comes after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited there last November. He had also talked about deepening relations and boosting trade and investment. The Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement is expected to increase trade between the two countries even more.

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Earlier in September, Bahrain’s Interior Minister visited Pakistan. Both countries agreed to cooperate more in counter-terrorism, anti-narcotics, and immigration.

Both countries have been friends since October 1971, soon after it became independent. In recent years, trade between the two countries has been $500 million to $1 billion. Pakistan mainly exports meat, vegetables, rice, tobacco, and textiles to Bahrain. It mainly exports petroleum products, metal scrap, and aluminum to Pakistan.

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