Bahrain’s foreign minister began a two-day visit to Pakistan at Ishaq Dar’s invitation. The ministers are due to lead their joint commission’s third session, reviewing trade, investment, defence and labour cooperation. The visit follows military contacts in June; the announced programme has not yet yielded a reported new agreement.
Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani arrived in Islamabad on October 7 for a two-day visit to Pakistan. He came at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Pakistan said the two ministers would co-chair the third session of their joint ministerial commission.[1], [2]
The commission provides a setting for reviewing cooperation across government departments. Pakistan’s announced programme includes trade, investment, defence and security, labour relations and cultural exchanges. The ministers are also due to discuss regional and international developments and cooperation in multilateral organisations. New agreement outcomes had not been announced. At the airport, al-Zayani was received by Economic Affairs Division Secretary Muhammad Humair Karim and Zahid Hussain.[1]
The visit follows contacts in June by the commander of Bahrain’s National Guard, the country’s military security force. General Shaikh Mohammad bin Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa separately met the chiefs of Pakistan’s three armed services. He expressed interest in further training and capacity-building cooperation. Pakistan’s foreign ministry also cited regular high-level exchanges when announcing the foreign minister’s trip.[1]
