Politics

Israel’s president makes 1st official visit to Bahrain

Jerusalem, Dec 4 (EFE).- Israeli President Isaac Herzog departed for Bahrain on Sunday for his first official visit to the Arab state.

Herzog’s visit comes at the invitation of King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa after both nations established diplomatic relations in September 2020 under the Abraham Accords agreement.

He will also travel to the United Arab Emirates, another signatory of the US-brokered agreement that normalized diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE, as well as Bahrain.

“Another historic step in the relationship between Israel and Arab states that signed the Abraham Accords, with the hope that more and more countries will be able to join the circle of peace with the State of Israel,” Herzog said before boarding the presidential plane in Tel Aviv.

Herzog, who is the first Israeli head of state to visit Bahrain, is scheduled to meet the king as well as Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani on Sunday.

He will also meet members of the local Jewish community, the largest in the Gulf region.

Herzog, who is accompanied by a large delegation, will also meet members of the Bahrain Economic Development Board to boost business ties.

The Israeli praised Bahrain’s rapid economic growth and described it as a strong economic nation of the region.

On Monday, Herzog will travel to the United Arab Emirates.

It will be his second trip to the country this year after a visit in January.

The trip is aimed at further deepening bilateral relations, which have developed rapidly and led to the signing of a free trade agreement between both countries in the middle of the year.

The Israeli president will meet UAE’s Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the fourth time and discuss how to strengthen ties, the importance of peace and new ways to expand bilateral cooperation, his office said. EFE

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