President Zardari to embark on 4-day official visit to Bahrain tomorrow
President Asif Ali Zardari will undertake an official visit to Bahrain from January 13 to 16, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Monday.
According to the FO, the president will be accompanied by a high-level delegation. During the visit, he is scheduled to hold meetings with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who also serves as prime minister.
“The discussions will focus on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the FO said.
The visit aims to strengthen Pakistan’s longstanding cooperation with the Gulf nation and explore new avenues for collaboration in trade and economic partnership, defence and security, and people-to-people ties.
In November last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to deepening relations with Bahrain during a two-day visit to the kingdom. He emphasized Pakistan’s interest in expanding trade and investment, noting that bilateral trade is expected to grow following the Pakistan–GCC Free Trade Agreement.
Earlier, in September, Bahrain’s interior minister visited Pakistan, during which the two countries agreed to enhance cooperation in counterterrorism, anti-narcotics efforts and immigration.
