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Putin says Bahraini king’s visit to Russia is 'important and timely'

The Russian president hopes that the visit will be as fruitful as their previous one

© AP Photo/Feng Li, Pool

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MOSCOW, September 6. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday opening talks with visiting King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa that this visit is very timely.

"Today, it is very important to speak about your vision of what is going on in the world," Putin said, addressing the Bahraini king. "I had a possibility to speak in China [at the Group of Twenty summit] with your colleague from the region. In light of this, your visit is very timely."

"I hope your visit will be as fruitful as our previous meeting," the Russian leader added.

It is expected that Vladimir Putin and Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa will exchange views on pressing issues of the current situation in the Middle East and North Africa, according to materials for the forthcoming meeting circulated on Tuesday.

"It is planned to focus special attention on the situation in Syria, primarily in the context of joint efforts against international terrorism," the document says.

Basically, Russia and Bahrain have a common approach in favor of political and diplomatic settlement of the Syrian crisis on the basis of the Geneva communique of June 30, 2012 and relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, and documents of the International Syria Support Group.

It has been reported recently that Russia and Bahrain have agreed to establish an intergovernmental bilateral commission on trade-economic and scientific-technical cooperation, according to an agreement signed by the sides after talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

An intergovernmental agreement on military cooperation was also signed in the presence of the two countries’ leaders.

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Besides, the two leaders signed a memorandum of understanding between Russian energy giant Gazprom and Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority's (NOGA) business and investment arm NOGA Holding to intensify cooperation in the sphere of liquefied natural gas.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed between Russian geology holding company Rosgeologiya and NOGA Holding to strengthen partnership in geophysical studies in the sphere of oil and gas prospecting and production.

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