Israel opens new embassy headquarters in Bahrain

Israel-Bahrain relations have progressed strongly since the Abraham Accords were signed in 2020.

(09.05) Ngoại trưởng Israel Eli Cohen (thứ ba từ phải sang) và người đồng cấp nước chủ nhà Al-Zayani (thứ ba từ phải sang) tại lễ khai trương Đại sứ quán Israel tại Bahrain ngày 4/9. (Nguồn: Reuters)

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen (third from right) and his host country counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani (third from left) at the opening ceremony of the Israeli Embassy in Bahrain on September 4. (Source: Reuters)

On September 4, Israel officially opened its new embassy in Bahrain. The event took place a few days before the third anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords, which were brokered by the US and aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and the Muslim/Gulf countries.

Speaking at the ceremony, Bahrain News Agency quoted Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen as saying that the opening of the new embassy in Bahrain reflects the interest of the two countries in promoting relations. According to him, this event is an opportunity to promote common goals between the two countries, including cooperation and stability, while emphasizing the importance of cooperation in promoting relations in the fields of security, trade, culture and other areas.

For his part, the host country's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani expressed his joy when attending the opening ceremony of the new headquarters of the Israeli Embassy with his counterpart Cohen.

According to him, this important event demonstrated the common commitment to promoting and developing bilateral relations, as well as contributing to peace, security and prosperity for the benefit of people in the region.

At the same time, the Bahraini Foreign Minister affirmed that his counterpart Cohen's first visit to the Gulf country marks an important milestone in the development of relations between the two countries, as well as a shared determination to promote harmony and cooperation.

According to him, the two sides need to strengthen diplomatic efforts and develop bilateral cooperation in various fields, noting that the establishment of a new embassy plays a key role in joint cooperation efforts to achieve the goals set out in the Peace Declaration, the Abraham Accords and the Negev Forum.

Mr. Eli Cohen is currently on his first visit as Foreign Minister to Bahrain, one of the countries that established diplomatic relations with the Jewish State on the basis of the Abraham Accords. During the visit, the Israeli Foreign Minister and his counterpart discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, technology, training and tourism.

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, during a meeting with Bahraini Prime Minister - Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Mr. Cohen said that Israel wants to sign more agreements on normalizing relations with Arab countries. Relations between Israel and Bahrain have improved since the two countries joined the Abraham Accords. The two countries have started negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA).

The Abraham Accords were signed on September 15, 2020, to normalize relations between Israel and the Gulf Arab states, with the United States playing a key mediating role. Previously, only Egypt and Jordan were the only two countries in the bloc that had relations with Israel. Since the signing of this document, relations between Israel and the aforementioned Gulf Arab states have expanded, notably with the resumption of direct flights and economic agreements.

Recently, the Jewish state and Riyadh have also promoted bilateral relations with Washington.

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