Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa conferred Bahrain’s highest civil award on Prime Minister Imran Khan during his trip to the Gulf country on Monday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had arrived in Bahrain on the invitation of King Hamad Bin Isa to attend the national day of Bahrain as its guest of honour. This is his first visit to Bahrain since he assumed office. Upon his arrival, Prime Minister Imran Khan was received by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa at the Sakhir Palace.
The king honoured PM Imran with the Bahrain Order — First Class “in recognition of his remarkable leadership, outstanding achievements and contribution to further strengthening relations between the two countries”, the statement read.
PM Imran Khan along with SAPM Zulfi Bukhari in meeting with Bahrain's king, Salman Bin Hamd Bin Esa. pic.twitter.com/oY7SjIJK8g
— Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) December 16, 2019
Earlier in the day, meetings were held with Crown Prince Salman during which discussions were held on Pakistan-Bahrain bilateral issues and the regional situation, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
The two countries signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), including on Education, Higher Education, and Scientific Research, Medical Sciences, and Cooperation in Youth Affairs and Sports.
“The two sides welcomed the recent signing of an Agreement on Military Cooperation, which will further increase the sharing of information, intelligence and assessments,” the statement added.
King Hamad “expressed appreciation for the contribution made by the Pakistani expatriate community towards Bahrain’s progress and economic development”.
PM Imran Khan is accompanied by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari.
In a statement, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) noted that the visit “will enable the two sides to explore ways and means to further deepen bilateral trade and investment ties”.
The visit to Bahrain will be the first stop of the prime minister’s three-country tour starting from December 15. He will later travel to Geneva to attend a conference on refugees followed by a tour to Malaysia.
