MoS V. Muraleedharan to make his maiden visit to Bahrain, will also meet Indian diaspora

Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan is set to visit the middle eastern Kingdom of Bahrain, marking his maiden visit to the country. In a statement, MEA said that the three day trip is scheduled between August 30 and September 1 and will witness Muraleedharan holding discussions with Bahraini Ministers and dignitaries. Additionally, he will also meet a wide cross section of non-resident Indians including people from the health and business sector. 

However, the press release did not specify if the leaders will deliberate upon the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan or not. Just recently, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar spoke to his American counterpart Antony Bliken discussing efforts to coordinate efforts on the Afghan crisis. Meanwhile, the Bahraini monarch has allowed his country’s transit facilities to be used by countries for their airlift operations. 

India Bahrain relations

In recent years, both India and Bahrain have ramped up co-ordination in multiple fields including the Coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, leaders of both the allied countries have witnessed frequent visits by leaders from the other country. In November last year, Jaishankar had visited the island which was followed by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani visit to India in April 2021. 

"The Indian community numbers about 350,000 in the Kingdom of Bahrain and enjoys great goodwill of Bahraini leadership. India-Bahrain bilateral trade is around USD 1 billion and has shown an increasing trend. Both countries are celebrating the golden jubilee of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2021," EAM said in a press release. 

Earlier this week, Muraleedharan on Wednesday met Ambassador of Egypt to India Dr Heba Elmarassi at his office on her farewell call-on. The two officials discussed important aspects of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. During their meeting, Muraleedharan conveyed his best wishes to Elmarassi for her future endeavours. According to the MEA, at present, the Indian community in Egypt numbers at around 3600, most of whom are concentrated in Cairo. There are also a small number of families in Alexandria, Port Said and Ismailia. A majority of the Indians are either employed with Indian companies or are professionals with various multinationals. 

Image: MOS/MEA