Israeli, Bahraini premiers meet for 1st time since normalization of ties

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met on Tuesday Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa for the first time since the two countries normalized their ties last year.

The “historic” meeting took place in Glasgow, Scotland on the sidelines of the ongoing UN Climate Change conference or COP26, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

No further details were included in the statement, but the official Bahrain News Agency said the crown prince highlighted Bahrain's "commitment to upholding regional peace, development and stability."

He noted the importance of “building upon the progress made following the signing of the Declaration of Peace, and further strengthening bilateral ties and cooperation.”

The report said the two leaders discussed topics of mutual interest, and areas of cooperation including preserving the environment and promoting clean energy.

The Bahraini leader outlined the country’s “comprehensive” climate change response, including its intention to achieve net zero emissions by 2060.

On Sept. 30, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid made the first official visit to the Kingdom to inaugurate the Israeli Embassy in the capital of Manama.

Tel Aviv and Manama inked a normalization deal during a ceremony held at the White House on Sept. 15, 2020.

Besides Bahrain, Israel also established diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco in 2020.