Bahrain's foreign minister arrives in Islamabad for 2-day visit

Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani reached Islamabad on Wednesday evening, according to Dawn, citing the Foreign Office. He is scheduled to co-chair the third Joint Ministerial Commission with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar during his two-day stay. Economic Affairs Division Secretary Muhammad Humair Karim and Additional Secretary Zahid Hussain received him at the airport.

The agenda spans commerce and investment, economic ties, defence, security, workforce matters and cultural exchanges, the Foreign Office said. Both sides will also compare views on regional and global affairs and on joint work within multilateral bodies. Earlier this month, Dar led an inter-ministerial review and urged departments to complete the groundwork in tight collaboration.

The two foreign ministers previously held talks in New York in September, during the UN General Assembly. Their previous JMC meeting was held in Manama in July 2021, when the sides inked an MoU aimed at boosting commerce. Islamabad and Manama first agreed to create the commission in 2014, during a visit by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.