ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bahrain have agreed to take bilateral cooperation in economic and trade sector to a new level by holding the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) meeting here during next month.
It was decided during a meeting of Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz with Bahraini Foreign Minister, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa on the sidelines of ‘Manama Security Dialogue – 12th Regional Security Summit’, in Bahrain.
Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid will visit Pakistan on January 30-31 next year as head of the Bahraini delegation at the inaugural JMC, said a press release on Sunday.
During the meeting, Sartaj Aziz briefed the Foreign Minister of Bahrain on Pakistan’s success in counter-terrorism, which led to marked improvement in internal security, paving the way for sustained economic growth and foreign direct investment.
Bahrain and other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council could benefit from the opportunities offered by economic turnaround and connectivity projects in Pakistan, he added.
Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid appreciated Pakistan’s success in counter-terrorism, terming it “reversal of a cataclysmic trend” of terrorism and extremism in the world.
He welcomed the prospects of economic growth in Pakistan as a result of improved security and said that he looked forward to his upcoming visit to Pakistan as an opportunity to lay the foundation of robust economic and trade relations between the two countries.
Adviser Sartaj Aziz and Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid also discussed the situation in the Middle East, focusing particularly on Yemen and Syria.
Aziz briefed him on the situation in Afghanistan and South Asia.
The two sides also decided to create institutional mechanism of consultations and dialogue between Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Bahrain, as current chair of the GCC, will initiate processes within the organization to create such a mechanism.
Sartaj Aziz also concluded his two-day visit to Bahrain, where he represented Pakistan at the Summit’.
