Foreign Ministry Undersecretary meets Italian official

Manama, Nov. 24 (BNA): The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa met today with the Deputy Director General and Principal Director for the Mediterranean and Middle East at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Luca Gori, on the sideline of the 15th Manama Dialogue. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah praised growing relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Italian Republic, stressing the kingdom's keenness to further develop cooperation with Italy in various fields. He recalled the visit of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to the Italian Republic in July 2008 and its impact on the development of relation between the two countries, noting the visit of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, to participate in Expo 2015 in Milan. He added that the development of relations is reflected in the establishment of King Hamad Chair for Interfaith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence at Sapienza University in Italy, the Italian Language and Culture Center at the Royal University for Women, and the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, in an event organized by the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities. The Undersecretary for International Affairs hoped to strengthen relations between the two countries as they have promising economic and investment opportunities, with the private sector in both countries attempting to establish joint investments in many fields, pointing out that the Kingdom of Bahrain attracts more than 180 Italian trading companies. Dr. Shahikh Abdullah explained that the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 has been able to translate its objectives to diversify sources of income and attract quality investments, based on the Kingdom of Bahrain's advanced status as a regional center of finance, business and modern technology, and under a developed infrastructure and regulatory. For his part, the Deputy Director-General for Political Affairs at the Italian Foreign Ministry expressed pride in the growing relations between the Italian Republic and the Kingdom of Bahrain, stressing that the consensus between the two countries is a strong platform to consolidate common interests and security at the regional and international levels.(MOFA)