Manama: Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz arrived in Bahrain on Sunday afternoon to a warm welcome on his first official visit to the island kingdom since he assumed power in August 2005.
Bahrain's King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa, Prime Minister Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, ministers and senior officials welcomed King Abdullah at the Sakhir airport, in the southern part of the country.
The official reception was held a few kilometers away at the Sakhir Palace where the two leaders exchanged greetings.
King Hamad offered King Abdullah a sword that belonged to Saudi leader Turki Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al Saud who had presented it to the ruler of Bahrain in 1870 for giving him and his 250 men hospitality. The sword remained for 140 years in the custody of Al Khalifa family.
King Hamad bestowed the Shaikh Eisa Medal of the Excellent Class upon the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques who in turn granted the King Abdul Aziz Medal to King Hamad
The two leaders then took part alongside ministers and senior officials in an open-air traditional sword dance until a few minutes before sunset.
The official reception complemented outstanding popular and remarkable media enthusiasm for the visit.
Days before his arrival, newspapers have devoted pages to highlight the relations and cooperation between Bahrain, the smallest country in the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Saudi Arabia, the largest country in the six-member alliance.
On Sunday, each of the six dailies in Arabic welcomed the Saudi monarch and published supplements highlighting the historic relations between Manama and Riyadh and the significance of the visit.
Most columnists, regardless of their ideologies and political orientation, emphasized the visit as a historic event that would be highly beneficial in all areas to both countries and peoples.
Several ministers wrote articles welcoming King Abdullah and stressing the importance of robust relations between the two kingdoms.
"The visit stresses the special cordiality between the two countries. There are various outstanding and distinguished relations between families from Saudi Arabia and Bahrainis, particularly families that lived in both countries," Nizar Al Baharna, the state minister for foreign affairs, said, while Abdul Husain Mirza, the oil minister, said that oil has been a positive factor in reinforcing bilateral relations
Commerce and Industry Minister Hassan Fakhro said that the two countries had a common destiny and explained that Riyadh was a strategic partner.
MPs were as enthusiastic about the visit and contributed long pieces in the local newspapers to welcome the Saudi leader and wish for further consolidation of ties and cooperation.
Bahrain Television stopped its regular broadcasting and hosted a series of talk shows in which guests spoke at length about the importance of King Abullah's visit and Bahrain's admiration for the Saudi leader. Rare footage of past visits by Saudi and Bahraini leaders to Manama and Riyadh offered spectators invaluable glimpses into decade-old events.
Large billboards and posters welcoming the Saudi monarch and expressing pride with the visit flooded Bahrain's roads and streets while green and red flags fluttered on lampposts on the major roads.
Capital Governor Shaikh Humood Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa inaugurated an exhibition of pictures that "reflected the depth of bilateral relations and the strength of bonds" between the two countries.
"We extend the warmest welcome to the Custodian of the Two Mosques in Bahrain and this exhibition is a testimony to the relations between the two countries initiated by our grandfathers," Shaikh Humood said.
In the Southern Governorate, a folkloric festival highlighted the "special and robust relations between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia."
"Our ties with our brothers In Saudi Arabia are not a matter of borders and frontiers, but rather a reflection of co-existence," Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Southern Governorate, said.
