Ambassador participates in forum on Russia-Islamic World cooperation

Moscow, May 23 (BNA): The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Russian Federation, Ahmed Abdulrahman Al-Saati, participated in a panel discussion entitled "Russia and the Islamic World: Prospects of Economic Cooperation."  The panel discussion was organised by the Russian State Duma's International Affairs Committee. The Bahraini Ambassador highlighted the promising investment opportunities in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the legal and logistic facilities available to investors, which, he said, qualifies the Kingdom to be a gateway to the Arab region and even to the regions beyond the Arabian Peninsula. Ambassador Al-Saati pointed to the strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Russian Federation, which recently chose Manama, the capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, as a distribution centre for gas, grain and other Russian products in the region. He highlighted the great development accomplishments achieved by the Kingdom of Bahrain, shed light on its friendly investment environment, and reinforced the historical role of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the international trade movement. The envoy praised the global financial position which the Kingdom of Bahrain has occupied for more than four decades, and as the capital of Islamic banking, which will contribute to the development of economic and investment cooperation between Russia and the Islamic world through the Kingdom of Bahrain, expressing the Kingdom's readiness to provide its expertise in this field to the Russian Federation. Al-Saati confirmed the great opportunities for investment in the field of tourism between the Islamic world and the Russian Federation, thanks to the common denominators that link them, which enable them to increase the volume of tourism exchange. The Bahraini Ambassador expressed his hope that the Russian Federation will provide more facilities in the issuance of visas to achieve this goal, especially since most of the GCC countries, including the Kingdom of Bahrain, grants visas to Russian citizens at the airport upon arrival. The discussion was attended by a large number of officials, experts and individuals interested in the Russian parliament, media centers and institutions and other non-governmental organizations. In conclusion, MP Rasul Butachev, on behalf of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, honoured the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Moscow, and thanked him for his participation in the discussion and his keenness to consolidate relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Russian Federation, promising to study his proposals and to activate them through government agencies in Russia.