Manama: The British Naval Support Facility in Bahrain will boost Gulf defences, Bahrain’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shaikh Fawaz Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa, has said.
The facility will be the second busiest centre of operations for the Royal Navy after Portsmouth, he said.
“It will allow the British Navy to re-crew, resupply and undergo repairs in the Gulf without having to return to the UK or other ports, saving time and reducing costs. The facility is just one element of an enduring British presence in Bahrain. The RAF has had strong links for over 90 years, from its first presence in Bahrain in 1924 and the establishment of a base during Second World War, to the critical role played by RAF aircraft operating from the kingdom in the liberation of Kuwait in 1991,” Shaikh Fawaz said in an opinion piece he wrote for the Daily Telegraph.
The ambassador said with the region continuing to face difficult times, “the British return to East of Suez is a reassuring sign that our countries remain steadfast friends and allies, with strong diplomatic, military and trade relations,”
“Such cooperation is vital in the face of the extremist and terrorist threats facing us all today. These threats are felt particularly strongly across the Gulf States, where we have seen Isil rise out of power vacuums in Iraq and Syria into a regional and international threat,” he wrote.
The UK has played a prominent and effective role in tackling the global challenge of terrorism and extremism, he added.
“It has been a leading member of the Global Coalition Against Terrorism, taking part in international operations to disrupt and defeat terrorist groups. On the domestic front, the UK’s deradicalisation programmes are among the most effective anywhere in the world. Such initiatives to tackle extremism before it takes root are the only long-term solution to the problem.”
The ambassador said the Gulf today was a region of challenges, but also of opportunities.
“The Government of Bahrain is committed to strong and effective cooperation and partnership with the UK across all fields. At the end of last month His Majesty King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa visited London, where he met Her Majesty the Queen, the Prime Minister, the ambassadors of Gulf states to the United Kingdom, and a number of parliamentarians,” he wrote.
Shaikh Fawaz added that the visit by the Prince of Wales to Bahrain last week was “a fitting way to mark the 200th anniversary of Anglo-Bahraini cooperation but, more importantly, it is a reaffirmation of the UK’s commitment to the Gulf, and to Bahrain in particular.”
Bilateral trade between Bahrain and the UK generated £432 million (Dh1,99 billion) in 2015, an increase of 35 per cent on the previous year.
“The Kingdom is firmly committed to expanding these mutually beneficial trade relations. Relative to its size, Bahrain already hosts a large number of British companies: 500 British brands, 90 British company branches, and 350 Bahraini-British business partnerships. These businesses operate in some of Bahrain’s key sectors, including banking, accounting, law and industry.”