The newly appointed British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain Ian Lindsay told the Bahrain British Business Forum (BBBF) on Sunday that UK being a gateway to Europe wants to further cements its ties in all vital sectors with Bahrain.
The President of BBBF Khalid Al Zayani welcomed the British Ambassador and shed a light on his diplomatic career especially his expertise in economy, trade and investments.
Al Zayani also presented the Ambassador with honourary membership of the BBBF.
He said that that his main priority would remain how to strengthen the economic and trade ties between the two countries.
“Bahrain’s strategic location and its proximity to the region’s largest economy Saudi Arabia also serve as a strategic interest for the UK based businesses,” he said.
Ambassador Lindsay told the audience that the UK Government would continue to support Bahrain as a strategic partner in the Gulf with economic and political reforms is seen as steps towards creating a sustainable economy in the Kingdom.
“Bahrain enjoys a high reputation as a financial and trading hub in the Gulf region and the credit goes to its open and developed economic climate.
He said that more British investments were on the way as many new companies were seeking opportunities to invest in the Gulf and Bahrain as well.
“There are new British companies who would like to come and invest in the Kingdom of Bahrain over the next few months in view of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s stability and good reputation as a financial, trading and economic center in the Gulf region and because of freedom and economic openness.
However, the British Ambassador underlined the importance of restoring the confidence of the investors and said that confidence is very easy to lose but very difficult to gain.
Highlighting the importance of promoting two way investments he said that although there were many British companies in Bahrain, but there was a need for more companies and investments.
The ambassador said that he would work closely with the Economic Development Board and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry to make the upcoming trade show in the UK a great success.
He said his country was keen to help the Kingdom in the areas of education and training, stressing that Britain has internationally reputable universities, schools and vocational training institutes.
The ambassador said that co-operation with Bahrain infrastructure development would be another key areas of his interest during his stay here.
“We want to assist Kingdom in developing its infrastructure in the areas of transport, education and training, also wants to see more Bahraini investments in London especially in the banking industry,” he said.
The ambassador said the two countries enjoy excellent relations in the political, economic and defense aspects, and he expressed his ambitions to further strengthen those relationships in social and media fields.