Trip aims to strengthen trade, economic ties, defense cooperation and people-to-people exchanges
President Asif Ali Zardari. Photo: File
President Asif Ali Zardari will pay an official visit to Bahrain from January 13 to 16, accompanied by a high-level delegation.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ statement on X, the president is scheduled to hold talks with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The meetings will focus on strengthening bilateral relations as well as discussing regional and international issues of common interest.
The visit aims to deepen Pakistan’s longstanding partnership with Bahrain and explore new opportunities for cooperation in trade and economic engagement, defense and security and people-to-people exchanges, the FO said.
Economic ties between Pakistan and Bahrain have gained momentum in recent months. On November 26, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bahrain’s King Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa agreed to increase bilateral trade to one billion US dollars within three years – one of the most ambitious economic goals set between the two countries to date.
Read: Pakistan, Bahrain focus on $1bn trade target
The commitment was made during talks at Qasr Al-Qudaibiya in Manama, where both leaders put economic cooperation at the center of their discussions. Bilateral trade currently exceeds US$550 million, with both sides expressing confidence that growth can be accelerated through the near completion of the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement and recent visa facilitation to improve business mobility.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also invited Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in food security, information technology, construction, mining and minerals, renewable energy, healthcare and tourism. The two leaders reviewed defense and security cooperation and agreed to expand cooperation in areas including training, cyber security, defense production, information sharing and improved port-to-port connectivity between Karachi and Gwadar and Bahrain’s Khalifa bin Salman port to facilitate trade.
