Vivian affirms Singapore's warm ties with Bahrain
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Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visited Bahrain yesterday and held a series of meetings with leaders from the kingdom.
In the meetings, he affirmed the warm ties between Singapore and Bahrain, said Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
Dr Balakrishnan called on Bahrain's national security adviser and commander of the royal guard, Major-General Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
He also met adviser to the King for diplomatic affairs, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, and had a separate meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al Zayani.
"As fellow small states, Singapore and Bahrain share a mutual interest in promoting multilateralism and a rules-based global order," said the MFA in a statement on the meetings.
"We share a common belief in the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity for all countries, big or small," the ministry added.
Dr Balakrishnan and the Bahraini leaders also had wide-ranging discussions on developments in Asia and the Middle East and he expressed hope that the Abraham Accords, which were signed by Bahrain in 2020, would contribute positively to regional stability and peace.
As part of the accords, the kingdom normalised relations with Israel amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Dr Balakrishnan was scheduled to leave Bahrain yesterday evening and visit the Palestinian Territories today.
The ministry had said on Friday that he would visit Bahrain, the Palestinian Territories and Israel on an official visit to the region from yesterday to Wednesday.
With Dr Balakrishnan at his meetings with the Bahraini leaders were Parliamentary Secretary for Communications and Information as well as Health Rahayu Mahzam, Singapore's Ambassador to Bahrain Wong Chow Ming, and MFA's director-general for its Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia Directorate Samuel Tan.
