Cyprus and Bahrain recommit to cooperation

The Cypriot consul in Bahrain has issued a statement about a series of meetings in Manama on bilateral cooperation, following a diplomatic incident and further steps by Nicosia to install an ambassador in the Kingdom.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, Consul of Cyprus in Bahrain Christos Poullaides had a series of meetings in Manama where he discussed bilateral cooperation in the fields of tourism and energy. A previous meeting last month also focused on infrastructure development and reconstruction.

A press release from the Consul's office said Poullaides met with a number of officials including Minister of Public Works Ibrahim bin Hassan Al Hawaj.

Al Hawaj, who received Poullaides last month, had discussed with the Cypriot consul how the Kingdom was “benefiting from Cypriot expertise in the fields of infrastructure development and reconstruction,” according to Bahrain News Agency.

Poullaides, who founded and manages a construction company in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, also met with Bahraini Tourism Minister Fatima Jaafar Al-Sairafi, with the two discussing cultural and tourism cooperation as well as the Kingdom’s efforts vis-a-vis the European market.

According to data cited last year by Al-Sairafi, the Kingdom was making progress towards the full recovery of the tourism sector following the pandemic.

The Cypriot consul also said he met with Minister of Electricity and Energy Yaser Bin Ebrahim Humaidan, who expressed his wish to strengthen his country's relations with Cyprus in the electricity and water sectors.

Talks between Nicosia and Manama were high on the agenda this week following a diplomatic incident in Bahrain where the Turkish Cypriot flag was hosted at an inter-parliamentary union assembly in Manama.

Nicosia has since announced the installation of four new embassies, including an upgrade in Manama, following a phone call between Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani.