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The talks began with a restricted format conversation and continued with the participation of the delegations in the business breakfast format.

The agenda included the current state of trade, economic, energy and humanitarian ties between Russia and Bahrain and the prospects for their expansion, as well as current international issues, including the Middle East, in view of Bahrain’s chairmanship of the Arab League.

Following the consultations, a package of documents was signed. Specifically, a Cooperation Programme between the Russian Ministry of Culture and Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities for 2024–2027 and a Cooperation Agreement between Roscongress Foundation, Kamchatka Falcon Centre, and the Supreme Council for Environment of the Kingdom of Bahrain were signed.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Authority for Culture and Antiquities of the Kingdom of Bahrain on holding Russian Seasons in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 2025 was signed. In addition, some documents regarding cooperation in pharmaceutical and medical industry, transport and transit were signed.

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Beginning of Russian-Bahraini talks in a restricted format

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Your Majesty, friends.

I am delighted to welcome you to Russia.

Your Majesty, we have not met since 2016, but we have remained in touch all this time. We spoke on the phone once again just recently, in March.

Next year, we will mark 35 years of diplomatic relations between our countries. Over these years, we have made significant progress in building relations between our states. Our foreign ministries maintain regular contacts, and we take similar approaches on many issues on the international agenda.

Just recently, a week ago, you chaired the Arab League summit. I am certainly interested in hearing your opinion on the situation in the Middle East and the details of the corresponding discussion at the summit.

Unfortunately, trade between Russia and Bahrain is at an early stage, but the trends are positive. However, the situation with investment is better: there are about 30 large projects underway, with a total worth of around $500 million.

At the same time, there is thriving cultural cooperation between our countries. This year, we will host Bahrain Days in Russia, and next year, as far as I know, our colleagues have agreed to hold Russian Seasons in your country.

Other humanitarian contacts are also expanding, primarily in education and science. They have great potential as well.

We are delighted to have you here, Your Majesty. Welcome to Russia.

King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (retranslated): Good afternoon, Mr President.

I believe today is one of the happiest days of my life, and it is a pleasure to meet with you on this occasion. Thank you very much for your invitation and warm welcome. We have been away from Moscow, this beautiful city, for a long time and missed it dearly. We are thrilled to visit and reconnect with our friends.

Of course, the development of our bilateral cooperation in various areas is extremely important to us. One of the key goals of our visit is to inform you about the outcomes of the Arab League summit. Your Arab friends send their best wishes and deeply appreciate Russia’s role in the fair resolution of Arab issues. There is complete understanding and agreement on the need to hold a peaceful international conference. Russia will be the first country I will turn to for support in this initiative because Russia plays an important role, can promote it, and has great authority worldwide. I hope this conference will take place in Bahrain.

Also, Mr President, I want to congratulate you on your victory in the election. This reflects your wise policy and positively impacts not only your country but also the Arab world. Your leadership brings stability to Russia, our brotherly nation, and we are witnessing unprecedented growth in the Russian economy, along with improvements in the social sphere and security. These positive changes in Russia also have a beneficial impact on our region.

Another significant topic is the situation in the Gaza Strip, a highly sensitive issue. We seek an end to the conflict in this region to save civilian lives. The ongoing conflict has forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes. The Gaza Strip is only 40 kilometres long and 12 kilometres wide, with women and children huddled on this small piece of land under constant shelling. It is important to emphasise that these are innocent civilians. The historical disputes and disagreements are complex, but we are not discussing the military aspect of them and are focusing on the peaceful aspect. Notably, the Arab League summit saw almost unanimous agreement among Arab countries on this issue for the first time. This unanimity is encouraging and underscores the collective responsibility of the Arab world to address and resolve such serious problems.

In Bahrain, we are committed to the principles of good neighbourliness. We aspire to maintain normal, diplomatic, cultural, and various other ties with our neighbours. Mr President, I am confident that you will support this vision, as it is strongly supported by the Bahraini people and myself. We hope to foster good relations among all countries in the region, especially with Iran, given our past issues. Currently, those problems have been almost entirely resolved. Therefore, there is no reason to postpone the normalisation and enhancement of relations, particularly with Iran. Our shared history, mutual visits, and the potential for increased trade and improved living standards make this a positive goal if we can achieve it.

There are many other issues to consider.

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