Manama: Bahrain has reiterated its commitment to preserving security and stability in the Gulf region.
Receiving US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carton, King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa said that Bahrain fully supported regional and international efforts to reinforce peace and consolidate peace and stability in the region.
King Hamad added that Bahrain valued the role of the US in consolidating security and stability in the Gulf and in promoting peace worldwide, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.
King Hamad and Carter reviewed the situation in the region and the latest regional and international developments as well as issues of shared concern, the official news agency said on Saturday.
The Bahraini monarch whose country is the headquarters of a US Naval Facility and the Fifth Fleet highlighted the depth of relations and cooperation with the US, particularly in the defence and military fields.
Relations between Bahrain and the US have been characterized throughout their long history by trust, mutual respect and close coordination in various areas in a manner that serves the interests of both nations, King Hamad said.
Washington has regularly stated that it views Bahrain as “a vital US partner in defense initiatives.”
“Bahrain plays a key role in regional security architecture and participates in US-led military coalitions. Bahraini forces have supported the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Bahrain was the first Arab state to lead a Coalition Task Force patrolling the Gulf and has supported the coalition counter-piracy mission with a deployment of its flagship,” the State Department said in a report in July.
“US assistance strengthens Bahrain’s interoperability for regional security and counterterrorism cooperation, boosts Bahrain’s maritime defenses against smuggling and terrorism, and improves Bahrain’s ability to deny terrorist sponsorship, support, and sanctuary,” the report said.
The US designated Bahrain a Major Non-NATO Ally in 2002.
Secretary Carter who was on a trip to the Gulf visited on Saturday the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, one day after it arrived in the Arabian Gulf, and the USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship.
