During his meeting with Secretary Hague, the Crown Prince discussed His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s commitment towards comprehensive reform and reiterated the need to push forward in facing the challenges along that path. He also reaffirmed that the way of dealing with these challenges must be in the best interest of all in Bahrain and within a purely Bahraini framework implemented in the spirit of unity. HRH expressed his satisfaction with the progress of ongoing cooperation and coordination between Bahrain and Britain, noting how the two nations are working together to reinforce stability in the region.
At a lunch meeting with Alistair Burt, Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, HRH Crown Prince Salman noted that the insistence on practicing violence by some extreme elements in Bahrain are harming all and may cripple advancement, thus negatively impacting the development that all segments of Bahraini society desire. Secretary Burt responded by urging all to condemn this violence and expressed the desire to further the historic ties between the two nations by expanding cooperation in new fields.
During this visit HRH the Crown Prince also witnessed the signing of a defense cooperation agreement by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa and Secretary of State for Defense Philip Hammond. HRH the Crown Prince welcomed the signing of the agreement that took place at the British Defense Ministry HQ as it will expand bilateral military and defense cooperation. He underscored the pivotal role played by the UK in consolidating security in the Gulf region.
The agreement will further consolidate military cooperation between Bahrain and the UK in maintaining security and stability in Bahrain and the region, in addition to providing backing for Bahrain to stave off any external aggression threatening its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Under the deal, the two sides pledge to promote cooperation in all fields, including exchanging intelligence and visits, training, education, scientific and technical cooperation and joint training.