Manama: Bahrain and Japan marked 40 years of diplomatic relations by renewing pledges of cooperation and signing agreements to boost political and defence cooperation.
"We are here today to convey the greetings of your friends in Bahrain and to celebrate together 40 years of diplomatic relations," King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa said in Tokyo at the start of a historic visit.
"We are working on consolidating cooperation between our two countries and we do have a wide range of areas for bilateral work. Japan is a true friend that will work with us to boost cooperation for the benefit of both countries and there are plans for further deals in the defence, commerce and education areas as well as in other areas," King Hamad said during talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.
The two sides reviewed the establishment of a Japanese scientific foundation to train Bahrainis in modern technology and agreed that Japan would undertake the expansion of Bahrain Refinery as part of a $1.5 billion development scheme to boost its productive capacity. Bahrain will also benefit from the Japanese expertise in satellites. The two countries signed memoranda of understanding to boost political consultations between their foreign ministries and defence exchanges between their defence ministries.
Manama and Tokyo established formal diplomatic relations in May 1972 and King Hamad is the first Bahraini ruler to make an official visit to Japan. On Wednesday, he discussed with the Arab ambassadors accredited in the Japanese capital the latest Arab and international developments.
