In a first, Bahrain’s top diplomat to attend ministerial panel session

A number of MoUs likely to be signed during the visit

ISLAMABAD: Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed al Khalifa will visit Islamabad today (Sunday) along with a high-powered delegation to participate in the inaugural session of the Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz will co-chair the first JMC session, said a press release issued by the Foreign Office.

Besides JMC, a one-on-one meeting and delegation-level talks will be held to review bilateral relations and regional issues. This is the second meeting between Aziz and Khalifa in less than two months, the press release added.

They had last interacted on the sidelines of the 12th Manama Dialogue in December 2016 in Bahrain.

During his stay, Bahrain’s foreign minister will also pay courtesy calls on the president and premier. He will also be given a presentation about the scope of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. A number of MoUs are also likely to be signed after the conclusion of the JMC.

The JMC is being held as the two sides agreed to upgrade the framework of Pak-Bahrain Joint Economic Committee established since 1983, to the ministerial level. A MoU to this effect was signed during the visit of Bahrain’s ruler in March 2014.

During the inaugural session of JMC, both sides will hold expert-level talks, particularly focusing on commerce, investment, energy, defence, export of manpower, agriculture, higher education and other areas of mutual interest.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2017.