Bahrain praises Indian community's role in its development

Bahrain Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa on Sunday lauded the role of the Indian expatriate community's role in his country's development.

"FM Shaikh Khalifa praised the contribution of Indian community settled in Bahrain towards the economic development of Bahrain," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted following the second High Joint Commission meeting led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Shaikh Khalifa in Manama.

Bahrain is home to around 350,000 Indian nationals, the largest expatriate community in the Gulf Kingdom, and more than 3,000 Indian-owned or joint venture companies.

Bilateral trade between India and Bahrain stood at over $875 million as of February this year, according to figures provided by the External Affairs Ministry.

India's total capital investment into Bahrain between January 2003 and March 2018 has been estimated at $1.69 billion.

On Saturday, the first day of her two-day visit to Bahrain, Sushma Swaraj, along with Shaikh Khalifa, inaugurated the new Indian Embassy complex in Manama.

"The new developments that have taken place in the economic field in the two countries, will take economic relations to greater heights," Sushma Swaraj said in her address at the ceremony.

--IANS

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