BILATERAL ties between Bahrain and Brazil are set to be deepened beyond trade with the official opening of the Brazilian Embassy in the kingdom by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
While delivering his speech at the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, Mr Bolsonaro, who is visiting the kingdom to discuss ties, also announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the centre and a Brazilian children’s charity.
“I and the accompanying delegation are very happy to be in Bahrain,” Mr Bolsonaro said during the opening of the embassy in Manama.
“When I assumed the presidency, Bahrain was the only country in the GCC that did not have an embassy in Brazil, so inaugurating the embassy’s headquarters today in Manama is a great pleasure for me. I assure that relations between Brazil and Bahrain will become stronger because the two countries seek the interest of their people.”
In December last year, Mr Bolsonaro had highlighted the importance of deepening political ties between the two countries and had committed to opening an embassy in the kingdom. At the time, Bahrain’s Assistant Foreign Minister Abdulla Al Doseri and King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence board of trustees’ chairman Dr Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa had met Mr Bolsonaro and announced the opening of the embassy in Manama.
The GDN had reported that the colours of Bahrain’s flag were projected over the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro marking the occasion, as well as the anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the throne and Bahrain’s National Day.
His Majesty King Hamad met virtually with Mr Bolsonaro in March this year to stress the deepening of economic ties, especially in smart technology-driven sectors.
Bader Abbas Al Helaibi was officially recognised as Bahrain’s ambassador to Brazil last month and preparations are underway to build an embassy in the country’s captital Brasilia.
A Brazilian ambassador-designate for Bahrain has yet to be named.
“The kingdom is convinced that the establishment of this embassy, alongside the opening of Bahrain’s mission in Brasilia, can take our ties with Brazil to the next level, and open new opportunities for co-operation and friendship across a whole range of fields,” Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani said during the Brazilian embassy’s opening ceremony.
During last night’s speech, Mr Bolsonaro also lauded His Majesty’s Declaration of Global Coexistence in South America and reaffirmed his ‘commitment to tolerance, liberty and religious freedom.’
He stressed that these are values that the two countries share and said that he looked forward to promoting these values around the world.
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