MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who is paying an official visit to Russia.
According to the Kremlin press service, the sides plan to discuss the current state and prospects of Russian-Bahraini cooperation in trade, economy, energy and humanitarian affairs. They will also address pertinent issues on the global agenda, including the situation in the Middle East, taking into account Bahrain’s current presidency in the Arab League.
Following the talks, the sides plan to sign joint documents.
Relations between Russia and Bahrain
Bahrain proclaimed its independence on August 14, 1971. The Soviet Union recognized Bahrain as a sovereign country on August 26, 1971, but diplomatic relations were established almost 20 years later, on September 28, 1990. Bahrain recognized Russia as the successor state to the Soviet Union on December 28, 1991.
Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has paid numerous visits to Russia since, with the latest of them taking place in 2016.
The leaders of Russia and Bahrain maintain a political dialogue and regularly talk to each other over the phone. Over the past year, they held phone conversations twice - in March 2024 and in June 2023. During the March talk, the King of Bahrain congratulated Putin on his re-election as the president of Russia.
The Russian leader invited the king to visit Moscow during a phone conversation on September 30, 2022. Then the two leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine and recent events in the Middle East and North Africa as well as confirmed their obligations within the framework of the OPEC+ agreement.
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has repeatedly declared his country’s readiness to boost cooperation with Moscow. He met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also the Russian president's special envoy for the Middle East and Africa, on the sidelines of the Arab League summit in mid-May. Back then, the king expressed his willingness "to expand fruitful cooperation with Russia in various vital fields for the sake of the two friendly countries."
A week earlier, the king sent a congratulatory telegram to Putin to congratulate him on his inauguration.