Manama, March 7 (BNA) Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken and Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani held the second strategic dialogue between the United States and Bahrain on February 28.
This coincided with the visit of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, to Washington. Across four working groups, discussions focused on advancing key priorities such as expanding strategic cooperation in support of peace and security; Deepening professional, educational and cultural ties. Promoting prosperity by strengthening bilateral economic cooperation; Countering terrorism and transnational threats.
The Secretary and the Secretary of State spoke of 50 years of enduring and solid relations between the United States and Bahrain, and the Secretary congratulated the Secretary of State on his recent successful conclusion of this year as Chairman of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The United States expressed its appreciation to the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and as a key non-NATO Ally, for moving forward to facilitate the transportation of US citizens and other individuals at risk from Afghanistan. The two sides reviewed the security challenges from the malicious actors in the region, and the importance of building international support for Ukrainian sovereignty in the face of Russia’s unjustified attack on that country.
The United States and Bahrain renewed their joint commitment to deter and confront threats to the Kingdom of Bahrain and to promote regional peace and security.
The two countries stand shoulder to shoulder in the face of Iran’s destabilizing influence. They looked forward to making further progress during a bilateral workshop that will soon be hosted by Bahrain as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative workshop, a global effort aimed at stopping the trade in weapons of mass destruction and related materials.
They recognized the urgent need to bring peace to Yemen and secure the free flow of humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people, while condemning the destabilizing actions of the Houthis in the region. The two countries discussed how to expand Bahrain’s relations with Israel since the historic signing of the Ibrahim Accords.
The two sides engaged in constructive dialogue on how best to promote human rights, including freedom of expression, and shared the Government of Bahrain’s plan to advance societal and legal reforms.
The United States welcomed Bahrain’s expanded implementation of the Alternative Provisions Program. He also acknowledged Bahrain’s continued progress in labor reforms and its impressive record as a regional leader in combating human trafficking, which was demonstrated for the fourth consecutive year as a Level 1 US annual Trafficking in Persons Report.
The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain also decided to continue discussing labor issues related to the 2006 Free Trade Agreement.
The two countries developed plans to implement the Manama Declaration of Cooperation issued in October 2021, which is their first joint cultural statement focusing on cultural heritage preservation, through capacity building programs and institutional partnerships, and announced new cultural, educational, professional and sports exchange programs. To expand relationships between people.
The United States has committed to continuing a fruitful professional exchange with the Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies, and plans to implement the Sports Visitor Program for outstanding Bahraini athletes with disabilities.
The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain also discussed the International Visitor Leadership Program designed specifically for tech entrepreneurs and ways to build on the progress made in empowering women.
The two sides also praised their enhanced cultural cooperation as reflected in the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding to renew the partnership between the Public Affairs Section of the United States Embassy in Manama and the Isa Cultural Center with regard to the American Corner. The United States welcomes the signing of the Artemis Accords by the Kingdom of Bahrain to advance civilian space exploration.
The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain discussed their mutual commitment to addressing the climate crisis under the umbrella of the Paris Agreement and collaborated to pursue further progress on climate transition goals and clean energy, including by promoting accelerated action as called for by the Glasgow Climate Charter. And through ambitious nationally determined contributions.
Both announced the groundbreaking ceremony for the US business district in the Kingdom of Bahrain on February 20 as evidence of the importance of the growing trade and investment relations.
The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain reviewed recent cooperation in law enforcement and maritime and border security. The United States expressed its appreciation for the commitment of the Kingdom of Bahrain to addressing global threats such as transnational organized crime and terrorism, and the two sides signed executive arrangements for memoranda of cooperation in the field of border and cargo security as well as the Global Entry Program.
The two sides reviewed the success of the programs of the Counter-Terrorism Partnerships Fund of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enhance the capabilities of Bahraini law enforcement agencies to protect the security and resilience of vital infrastructure, conduct advanced investigations, and secure its borders.
The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain decided to cooperate in organizing a regional symposium in March for countries in the Middle East and North Africa to enhance their efforts to build capacity in the investigation and prosecution of crimes related to money laundering and terrorist financing.
Both countries decided to hold future sessions of the Strategic Dialogue to follow up on shared priorities and deepen the historic partnership and friendship between the United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
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