Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Bahrain's Foreign Minister Alzaini.
India and Bahrain announced the start of talks for a major trade deal and also decided to move forward on an investment agreement. During this, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held detailed talks with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayni, so that relations between the two countries could be further strengthened.
In the conversation, both the ministers also agreed to develop a common understanding to start negotiations on Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). This agreement will save the businessmen of both the countries from paying tax twice on the same income, will bring clarity regarding tax and will promote trade and investment.
Aljayani had arrived in India on Sunday on a two-day visit. The objective of this visit is to further advance India-Bahrain relations in the fields of trade, investment and defence. Especially when conflicts and political tensions are increasing in West Asia. At the beginning of the meeting, Jaishankar reiterated India's support for the Gaza Peace Plan and expressed hope that the plan will help towards a long-lasting solution in the region.
In the conversation, Jaishankar and Alzayani discussed ways to increase cooperation in areas like defence, security, economy, trade, investment, health, fintech, space, culture and people-to-people relations. According to the joint statement, both sides agreed to increase and diversify trade in sectors like electronics, petroleum, processed foods, metals and gems and jewellery.
Bahrain is an important friendly country of India in West Asia. Relations between the two countries have strengthened significantly in the last few years, and trade between the two is expected to reach US $ 1.64 billion in 2024-25. About 3.32 lakh Indian citizens live in Bahrain, which is almost a quarter of the total population there (1.5 million). India is one of the five largest trading partners of Bahrain.
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