DUBAI, May 16. /TASS/. King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has held a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who serves as special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa, on the sidelines of an Arab League summit in Manama.

According to the Bahrain News Agency (BNA), the king expressed his willingness "to expand fruitful cooperation with Russia in various vital fields for the sake of the two friendly countries."

The monarch also praised the development of relations between Bahrain and Russia.

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said he was grateful to Russian President Vladimir Putin for sending his envoy to the Arab League summit, and commended his "desire to strengthen relations with Arab countries." The king also expressed his wishes of success and prosperity to the Russian president and people.

The Arab League summit, which took place in Manama on May 16, was dedicated to the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the prospects for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Summit participants particularly called on the UN to deploy peacekeepers to occupied Palestinian lands until the two-state solution was implemented.