Security, energy, and finance agreements were signed between Oman and Bahrain during the Gulf leaders’ meeting in Manama.
Oman’s Sultan Haitham and Bahrain’s King Hamad signed the deals at the Sakhir Palace in Bahrain’s capital, the Bahrain news agency reported on Tuesday.
Sultan Haitham concluded a two-day official visit to Bahrain as the deals were signed.
The leaders “affirmed their determination to continue developing joint co-operation in the economic, trade and investment fields,” the news agency reported.
According to the agreement, cooperation between the two states in the private sector will be enhanced and developed to increase trade and benefit the people of both countries.
An agreement to establish the Bahrain-Oman Investment Company was signed during the visit.
The announcement said that the base would be an attractive place for investors to make new connections and build productive partnerships with private sector institutions in a variety of fields.
Senior Omani officials, including the foreign, interior, and finance ministers, joined Sultan Haitham.
The Omani official stated that Sultan Haitham’s visit to Manama was intended “to consolidate the strong historical ties between Oman and Bahrain, and to further enhance and expand them.”
They agreed that “it is imperative to maintain the cohesion of the Gulf Cooperation Council and emphasise the unity of its countries and peoples in order to tackle current issues.”
The statement emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to realise the hopes of member states and their people for greater solidarity, integration, and joint action toward Gulf economic unity,” the statement said.
Leaders also discussed the upcoming Arab summit, scheduled for early November in Algeria, during their meeting.
The statement said that the summit would “protect Arab national security and advance Arab joint action in promoting security, development, and prosperity.”
Oman and Bahrain’s leaders “expressed their commitment to working together to guarantee regional security, safeguard free trade and travel, battle terrorism and its funding, and battle violent ideology.”
In 2020, Sultan Haitham took office after Qaboos’s death and visited Bahrain for the first time.
Image Credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via AP, File
