Pakistan, Bahrain aim to boost bilateral trade as Dar, visiting FM chair JMC meeting

AI Summary

Pakistan and Bahrain held a Joint Ministerial Commission meeting in Islamabad, with their foreign ministers pledging to strengthen bilateral trade and cooperation. They reiterated a goal of doubling trade to $1 billion within three years and discussed investment, defence, security, labour, cultural ties, and regional developments.

Pakistan on Thursday expressed its commitment to boost bilateral trade with Bahrain as the two countries held the third session of their Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Islamabad. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Bahrain’s FM Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who arrived in Pakistan last night on a two-day visit, are co-chairing the JMC session. Addressing the media alongside the visiting dignitary during the JMC session, Dar recalled the target set earlier of increasing their bilateral trade to $1 billion. Noting the target of doubling trade in three years, of which one has already elapsed, Dar quipped, “But God forbid, if we miss [the target by] a few months, we have a great excuse that this period has been very turbulent.” Earlier in the day, Dar received Al Zayani upon his arrival at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Office (FO) noted that Al Zayani’s visit “reflects the close, cordial and brotherly ties between Pakistan and Bahrain and underscores the shared commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation”. In an earlier statement, FO said the two sides will “review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and discuss ways to further strengthen cooperation across diverse areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment, economic cooperation, defence and security, labour and manpower, and cultural exchanges”. The two sides would also exchange views on regional and international developments of mutual interest and cooperation at multilateral forums. “Pakistan and Bahrain enjoy close, brotherly relations founded on shared faith, common values, mutual respect, and longstanding people-to-people links,” FO noted. Earlier this month, Dar chaired an inter-ministerial meeting to review preparations for the Pakistan-Bahrain JMC and directed the ministries concerned to pursue concrete outcomes from the Bahrain FM’s visit. Dar and Al Zayani last met in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where they discussed bilateral relations, including preparations for the JMC session. They also exchanged views on regional and international developments, with Al Zayani appreciating Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability. Following the last JMC session in July 2021, which was held in Manama, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to promote business between the two countries. Islamabad and Manama had agreed to establish the JMC in 2014, when King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa paid a three-day visit to Pakistan.