Singapore, Bahrain reaffirm strong relationship

Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman affirmed the strong bilateral and defence relationship between Singapore and Bahrain at a security forum in Bahrain over the weekend, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said yesterday.

At a special session of the 15th Manama Dialogue, Dr Maliki spoke on the global and regional challenges surrounding cyber security, highlighting the evolving landscape of cyberthreats, and stressing the need for collective responsibility. He also urged the development of internationally-accepted cybernorms to manage these emerging issues.

Organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Manama Dialogue is a key security forum for the Gulf region, bringing together senior defence, security and foreign affairs officials from around the world to discuss security challenges in the Middle East and beyond.

Mindef said that Dr Maliki was hosted to dinners by the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and by Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for International Relations Shaikh Dr Abdullah Ahmed Al Khalifa.

In his meetings with several defence leaders in Bahrain, including the Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force, Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa Ahmed Al Khalifa, the parties affirmed the bilateral and defence relations between Singapore and Bahrain.

Dr Maliki also expressed Singapore's appreciation for Bahrain's support for the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) deployments in support of the multinational coalition to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. He thanked Bahrain for its support of the SAF's deployment to the Gulf of Aden and its support for Singapore's port calls.

On the sidelines of the dialogue, Dr Maliki also met Egypt's Assistant Minister of Defence Mohammed Salaheldine Hassan Ali, Germany's Parliamentary State Secretary of Defence Thomas Silberhorn and Kuwait's President of the National Security Bureau Sheikh Thamer Ali Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah.

Singapore has been an active participant of the Manama Dialogue since its inception in 2004. The 15th Manama Dialogue was attended by more than 25 countries, including Australia, Egypt, France, Germany, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and the US.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 25, 2019, with the headline Singapore, Bahrain reaffirm strong relationship. Subscribe