Russia and Bahrain have agreed to promote the prospects of developing trade and economic cooperation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a joint press conference with Bahraini counterpart Abdel Latif bin Rashed al-Zayani on Tuesday.
"We discussed in detail the issues of our trade and economic cooperation. The trade turnover is growing, but the absolute figures are very, very modest. They do not suit either our friends or Russian economic operators," Lavrov said.
"There are good prospects, which we have agreed to promote today," he stressed and specified that he meant joint projects in industry, transport and pharmaceuticals.
According to the Russian foreign minister, the sides also agreed to more actively use the opportunities of the Russian-Bahrain intergovernmental commission on trade, economic and scientific-technical cooperation. "Its next meeting is planned to be held here in Manama this year," Lavrov said.
The interlocutors separately discussed investment cooperation. "Our Bahraini friends have doubled their contribution to the joint investment platform. This is a very important step, which will give good results," the Russian foreign minister said.
Russian and Bahraini foreign ministers agreed to develop exchanges of delegations, stimulate direct business contacts and discuss a number of possible projects for joint implementation in third countries, Lavrov said.
Humanitarian ties
Russia's foreign minister said Russia and Bahrain value bilateral humanitarian and scientific-educational cooperation and are ready to develop it.
"Certainly, on both sides we value our humanitarian ties, scientific and educational cooperation. About a hundred Bahraini students study in Russian universities, mainly in medical specialties. Today we confirmed our willingness to expand the number of scholarships for our Bahraini friends," the Russian minister said.
Lavrov also noted the importance of planned cultural events in the development of Russian-Bahraini contacts. The plans for joint cultural projects in Manama this year, including the Russian Culture Days, the bilateral forum "Multiculturalism as a Basis for Dialogue", the so-called museum road-show (presentation marathon - TASS) here in Bahrain and the Russian Cinema Festival, certainly look very impressive," the Russian foreign minister continued. - "I am sure these events will arouse great interest among our citizens and will promote contacts between people".
Palestinian-Israeli settlement
Sergey Lavrov and Abdel Latif bin Rashed al-Zayani discussed the Palestinian-Israeli settlement during their meeting.
"[We discussed] the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the unsettlement of which for many decades has maintained a hotbed of tension, which is again now causing serious concern due to recent developments in the Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, we also discussed the need to resume direct negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis," the Russian foreign ministry head said.
Lavrov said there was an international legal basis for resumption of direct negotiations between Palestinians and Israel, and emphasized the urgency of intensifying efforts for resumption of this dialogue.
"There is an international legal basis for this (resumption of dialogue - TASS), there is the Arab Peace Initiative, which has been supported by everyone, including in the United Nations, and we see now a particular urgency of stepping up efforts, including through the Quartet of international mediators, through the League of Arab States," the Russian Foreign Minister added.
The situation around Ukraine
Bahrain wants the situation around Ukraine to be resolved in a peaceful and safe way, said Abdel Latif bin Rashed al-Zayani.
According to the Bahraini foreign minister, they discussed the situation around Ukraine during a meeting with Lavrov. "We stressed the position of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which has a resolution based on security and a peaceful approach in Ukraine and the entire European continent," he said.
"His Majesty [King of Bahrain Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa] stressed that resolving this conflict is in the interest of the two neighboring countries and the European continent. The parties stressed the need for diplomatic dialogue to resolve this issue politically," the Bahraini foreign minister added.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Based on materials from TASS