Bahrain, Israel agree on mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination

Cairo: Bahrain and Israel have reached an agreement on mutual recognition of vaccination and the “green passport”, the first such step between the two countries that also marks a global precedent, Bahraini media reported.

The accord has been reached after recent talks between Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani, and his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi, as well as after contacts between the Israeli embassy in the kingdom and the foreign and health ministries in both countries.

By the virtue of the agreement, people who have got vaccinated in both countries and received vaccinations recognised in the other country will be exempt from quarantine and will have access to places that require a “green passport”, Bahrain’s news agency BNA reported.

The second phase of the agreement will entail arrangements for the people who have been inoculated with a vaccine that is not recognised by one of the two countries.

The identification process will be carried out digitally, which will greatly facilitate entry into both countries. The agreement is set to promote tourism, trade and economic relations between the two countries, according to BNA.

In mid-September, Bahrain and Israel signed a US-mediated peace treaty in Washington.