Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Bahrain and the visit of King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa in March 2014 was a landmark visit which opened new avenues of bilateral co-operation between our two countries. He was talking to Lieutenant General Sheikh Mohamed Bin Isa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa, Commander of the National Guard of Bahrain and brother of King of Bahrain, who called on him at PM House in Islamabad.

Welcoming the delegation on visit to Pakistan, the Prime Minister said, "Pakistan considers Kingdom of Bahrain a close friend and trusted partner." "Our bilateral relations are founded on shared history, cultural linkages and strong people-to-people contacts," the Prime Minister stated.

The Commander National Guard of Bahrain thanked the Prime Minister for the warm welcome and conveyed good wishes from King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. He said, "Bahrain and Pakistan are brotherly countries and the bilateral relations between the two countries would further enhance by pursuing close economic and trade relations." The Prime Minister expressed deep gratitude to King Hamad for his generous gift of King Hamad Nursing University to Pakistan. He thanked the National Guard of Bahrain for coming to Pakistan to lay the foundation stone of this project.

Lieutenant General Sheikh Mohamed said, "The proposed up-gradation of Joint Economic Council to Joint Ministerial Commission is a positive development to boost our bilateral ties." "The upcoming visit of Pakistani Naval Chief to Bahrain in the third week of January 2017 will be important for enhancing bilateral Naval Co-operation," he added. The Prime Minister said, "Pakistani Diaspora in Bahrain acts as a human bridge between the two brotherly countries and have been playing an important role in the development and prosperity of both Pakistan and Bahrain."

Copyright News Network International, 2017