UAE-Bahrain joint committee hold talks

Manama: The UAE and Bahrain have agreed to deepen ties between the two countries.

King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa of Bahrain on Tuesday stressed this when he received Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister. Shaikh Abdullah conveyed greetings of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the King of Bahrain.

King Hamad stressed the strong relationships between both countries expressing satisfaction. He praised the efforts of the joint higher committee to develop these relations and open new horizons of cooperation and joint coordination in various sectors between the UAE and Bahrain.

The current situation in the Middle East and a number of Arab and regional issues were also discussed during the meeting. Shaikh Abdullah briefed the King of Bahrain on the key topics on the agenda of the Committee, appraising the King's support and keenness to promote bilateral ties in various fields.

King Hamad asked Shaikh Abdullah to convey his greetings to Shaikh Khalifa and wished further progress and prosperity for the people of UAE.

Meanwhile, Bahraini Prime Minister Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa also received Shaikh Abdullah who conveyed the greetings of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to the Bahraini premier.

Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa welcomed Shaikh Abdullah who passed on to him best wishes of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Meanwhile the UAE-Bahrain joint committee's sixth meeting concluded on Wednesday. The UAE side was led by Shaikh Abdullah while his Bahraini counterpart Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa led the other side.

Ties with Iran

In the meeting's concluding speech, Shaikh Abdullah affirmed the two countries' willingness to step up cooperation in all fields, in a way that will meet aspirations of their people, under the wise leadership of Shaikh Khalifa and King Hamad and their keenness to further cooperation.

Shaikh Abdullah stressed that UAE's relations with Iran are historical and many interests bind the two countries together.

However, Shaikh Abdullah concluded that does not mean we do not have a problem concerning the three occupied Islands, Iran calls it disagreement and we call it occupation, however, the continuation of this occupation must not be an obstacle standing in the way of developing economic relations between the two neighbor countries.

I hope the good relations between the two countries reaches a high level where they can resolve their problems through the excellent ties that bind them.