The converging views of Greece and Bahrain on several key issues was a fact mentioned by Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias in statements on Monday, after holding a series of meetings with state officials at Manama during his 3-day working visit.
Speaking on the last day of his visit Monday, the minister said that “Bahrain is a country which has always stood by us in international organizations, supported our candidacy for the UN Security Council, and has condemned the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque.”
Earlier on Monday, Dendias was warmly welcomed by the Foreign Minister of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. During their meeting, the two officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on political consultations.
“It is also a country that holds similar positions to us on issues of International Law and International Law of the Sea, which we have had the opportunity to discuss and coordinate our efforts upon. An extremely successful discussion, one that opens corridors of economic cooperation and investment from Bahrain to Greece and vice versa,” he pointed out.
Bahrain has adopted and promoted positions similar to those of Greece regarding the rights of islands in maritime zones, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and has resolved bilateral issues with Qatar through an appeal to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Greek diplomatic sources said on Monday.
Dendias’ visit was also an opportunity to boost the collaboration of the two countries’ in matters of International Law between the legal deparments of both foreign affairs ministries, sources added.
Bahrain also played a crucial role in the signing of the Abraham Accords, which allowed for the rapprochement between Israel and the Arab countries, an agreement supported by Greece, which builds bridges of collaboration and friendship with Israel and the Arab world, it was noted.
Finally, Dendias was the only European minister who attended the Manama Dialogue forum, the biggest regional conference on security issues, which was also attended by the US Defense Secretary and Israel’s National Security Adviser, sources highlighted.
Dendias was also received by the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to whom he extended Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou’s invitation to visit Greece at the earliest opportunity.
Dendias also met on Monday with Mumtalakat CEO Khalid Al Rumaihi to discuss opportunity for strengthening the economic cooperation and promoting investments with emphasis on renewable energy sources, agriculture and tourism.
ΠΗΓΗ: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
