His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, received at Al Riffa Palace the British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond who was accompanied by the Defence Advisor on the Middle East Simon Mayal.
HRH Crown Prince praised the solid historical bilateral ties, which have grown steadily in all fields, particularly regarding military cooperation and defence cooperation.
HRH Prince Salman also discussed with the British Secretary of Defence issues of mutual concern, including the security situation in the region and the need to keep it away from conflicts.
The British Minister hailed His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s reform initiatives, the essential guarantors of stability, expressing satisfaction at the advanced level of the outstanding Bahraini-UK relations in all fields.
Minister of State for Defence Affairs Lieutenant-General Doctor Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Advisor to HRH Crown Prince Shaikh Ahmed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Director of HRH Crown Prince’s Office Major-General Muneer Ahmed Al Subaie and the British Ambassador to Bahrain Iain Lindsay also attended.
Later, State Minister for Defence Affairs Lieutenant General Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa received British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and his accompanying delegation on the occasion of their official visit to Bahrain.
He hailed distinguished brotherly relations between Bahrain and the UK, lauding bilateral cooperation mainly in the defence field.
The meeting was attended by Inspector General Major General Abdullah Hassan Al Nuaimi, Director of Planning, Organisation and Technology Rear-Admiral Yussef Ahmed Malallah, Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations Major General Dhiab Saqr Al Nuaimi, Royal Bahrain Air Force Commander Major General Shaikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Acting Commander of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force Commodore Shaikh Khalifa bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Military Cooperation Director Commodore Shaikh Ahmed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and senior BDF officers.
British Ambassador to Bahrain Iain Lindsay also attended.
The British Defence Secretary left later Bahrain. He was seen off by the State Minister for Defence Affairs and senior BDF officers.