HM the King concludes state visit to Malaysia

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa today concluded a state visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian, during which held talks with His Majesty Sultan Mohammed V of Malaysia and Prime Minister Mohammad Najib Abdul Razak focused on ways to develop the solid bilateral relations, as well as regional and international developments of joint interest.
HM the King was bid farewell by Head of Mission of Honor, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, and a number of senior government officials.

HM the King sent a letter of thanks to Malaysian Sultan, in which extended thanks for the warm reception and hospitality and for the invitation to Malaysia.

HM the King praised the fruitful outcomes of his visit that will serve both countries’ interests and aspirations of their people. He wished the Malaysian Monarch abundant good health and happiness and his country constant advancement and welling under his leadership.

HM the King extended to the Malaysian Monarch an invitation to visit the Kingdom of Bahrain.

HM the King sent a similar letter to Malaysian premier. He also extended to him an invitation to visit Bahrain.

Below is the joint statement issued following the conclusion of HM the King to Malaysia:

At the invitation of His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong XV of Malaysia, Sultan Muhammad V, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain undertook a state visit to Malaysia from 30 April- 2 May, 2017. HM the King was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Ministers, senior officials and business leaders. HM the King was accorded a ceremonial welcome in the Parliament Square, Parliament House on 1 May, 2017. His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong XV of Malaysia, hosted a State Banquet in honor of HM the King at the Banquet Hall, Istana Negara which was preceded by an audience with His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong XV of Malaysia. Other bilateral engagements included a visit to the Military Headquarters, a meeting with Honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, and a delegation-level meeting followed by dinner hosted by the Honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia.

2. During the official delegation meetings, the two sides underlined their close bilateral ties, multi-faceted cooperation and close people-to-people contacts. The wide-ranging discussions were held in a sincere, friendly and forward-looking atmosphere with useful exchanges of views on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest. The visit reflects the importance the Kingdom of Bahrain attaches to deepening bilateral ties between the two countries and also provides a good opportunity to further expand and advance bilateral cooperation in all areas.

3. The two sides emphasized the need to deepen and enhance their excellent bilateral cooperation to greater heights and reaffirmed their common aspiration to further expand their cooperation. The two sides exchanged views on topics of mutual interest, including political issues, defence cooperation, economic ties, and aviation, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interests to promote peace, stability and prosperity.

4. The two sides expressed their satisfaction at the regular exchange of high-level bilateral visits in recent years. Bilateral ties gained a new momentum following the visits of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Malaysia in March 2013, and the working visit to Bahrain on 25-26 August 2014 by YB Dato’ Sri Anifah Aman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, to seek support for Malaysia’s UNSC non-permanent member seat, and the two sides welcomed the outcome of recent visit to Bahrain by H.E. Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Minister of Defence of Malaysia on 2-4 April 2017.

5. The two sides stressed the importance of continuing regular bilateral consultations through the existing institutional mechanisms. They welcomed the setting up of Malaysia-Bahrain High Joint Commission to be co-chaired by the two Foreign Ministers of both countries, which will serve as an umbrella framework for bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

6. The two sides stressed the importance of increasing the defence and security cooperation between the two countries. It was also decided to strengthen the sharing of information, intelligence assessments, and best practice. Both sides denounced terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed their desire to strengthen their cooperation in combating terrorism at both the bilateral level and within the multilateral system of the United Nations. Both nations also agreed to cooperate in addressing the threat of militancy, not only in the military context, but also through soft power and counter narratives.

7. Malaysia and Bahrain agreed to further enhance their defence relations and have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to symbolize this desire, through which the two sides will:-

i. Further explore military-to-military cooperation which includes, but is not limited to, training, exercises, and exchange of military personnel between the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF);
ii. Intensify cooperation on information and intelligence sharing on terror networks, and work together to share experiences on dealing with the growing phenomenon of radicalization.

8. Both leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The two sides agreed that terrorism should not be linked to any race, ethnicity or religion. Both countries acknowledged the important role played by the other in combating terrorism and violent extremism.

9. The two sides, noting the potential of their respective economies, agreed to encourage their investors to foster closer economic and trade linkages, and to use Bahrain’s status as a “Gateway to the Gulf”, and a hub of Islamic finance, as well as to benefit from the potential of Malaysia being in the heart of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) established in 2015. Both sides underscored the importance of strengthening and deepening trade relations and investment cooperation between the two countries and to explore opportunities in light of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Vision 2030.

10. The two sides stressed the importance of further promoting ASEAN-GCC relations. Both sides agreed to revitalize the ASEAN – GCC cooperation and to explore the possibility of holding the ASEAN-GCC Ministerial meeting in 2017.

11. The Malaysian side welcomed with appreciation the Kingdom of Bahrain’s decision to open an Embassy in Malaysia.

12. The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the increase of tourist flows, and aimed to further increase tourist movements between the two countries. In this context, the two sides agreed to put in place the measures necessary to exempt the nationals of each country from entry visa requirements in the other country.

13. Both leaders acknowledged the importance of moderation as an approach to promote dialogue, mutual respect, understanding and tolerance to counter all forms of violence extremism. In this regard, the Malaysian side expressed a desire to encourage collaboration between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF).

14. The two sides highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation in the field of environment, renewable energy, oil and gas, trade and investment, particularly in the field of small and medium size enterprises, consumer protection, and developing industrial areas.

15. During the visit, one Agreement and four Memoranda of Understanding were signed, including the following:

I. Air Services Agreement between the Government of Malaysia and the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain;
II. Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation and Exchanges between the Government of Malaysia and the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain;
III. Memorandum of Understanding on Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Industrial Cooperation;
IV. Memorandum of Understanding Relating to Upstream and LNG Cooperation between Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) and National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA Holdings);
V. Memorandum of Understanding Between Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI) and National Chamber Of Commerce And Industry Of Malaysia (NCCIM).

16. Both leaders noted that these texts will provide a framework for further enhancing cooperation between the two countries in their respective fields.

17. His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, thanked His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong XV of Malaysia for the warm and gracious hospitality extended to His Majesty and the members of his delegation. He extended his invitation to His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong XV of Malaysia, Sultan Muhammad V and Honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, to visit Bahrain at a mutually convenient date, which was accepted with appreciation.