ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, in Manama on Thursday and thanked him for his country’s “special care” for Pakistani expats.
Qureshi is in Bahrain on a two-day visit that will conclude today, Thursday, leading Pakistan’s delegation in the second session of the Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC).
“The Foreign Minister thanked the King of Bahrain for taking special care of Pakistanis living in Bahrain,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement. “The Foreign Minister congratulated the King of Bahrain on hosting the second meeting of the Pak-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission.”
It added:
“Pak-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission will help strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, enhance bilateral trade, economic and multilateral cooperation.”
Qureshi also conveyed the best wishes of the Pakistani president and prime minister and invited the king of Bahrain to visit Pakistan.
Earlier in the day, Qureshi met Bahrain Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and thanked his country for taking steps to aid Pakistani expats, saying strong defence ties between the two nations were a “source of support.”
Qureshi “appreciated the steps taken by the Bahraini government during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure that the Pakistani community in Bahrain did not face any traumatic situation,” the foreign office statement said, saying he also “lauded the steps taken by the Bahraini Ministry of Interior to facilitate the visa amnesty scheme, waiver of fines, extradition and repatriation of Pakistanis awaiting repatriation.”
“Referring to the strong defense and security ties between Pakistan and Bahrain, the Foreign Minister described them as a source of support,” the foreign office said.
On Wednesday, the second meeting of the Bahrain-Pakistan Joint Ministerial Commission was held in Manama.
“On the sidelines of JMC, an MoU between Bahrain Development Board and Board of Investment of Pakistan was also signed to promote bilateral investment between the two friendly countries,” a Pakistan foreign ministry statement said, adding that the two sides agreed in principle to hold the next JMC meeting in Islamabad in 2022.
