Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa received Saudi Interior Minister His Royal Highness Prince Abdul-Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef Al Saud during his official visit to Bahrain on Tuesday.

The meeting was also attended by senior Interior Ministry officials and ambassadors of both countries. The Police Band performed the Saudi national anthem which was followed by a parade showcasing the participating teams’ field skills. Through various exercises, the teams demonstrated their competence, discipline, preparedness, accuracy and a high level of performance. After the parade, HRH Prince Abdul-Aziz and the Interior Minister headed for the Police Fort where they were briefed on the exhibits in the Fort Museum narrating the history of the Fort.

Lt. Gen. Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa delivered the following speech:

"On this blissful day I am happy to welcome Your Royal Highness and the accompanying delegation in your second country, the Kingdom of Bahrain. This visit is appreciated as it reinforces our strong security ties thanks to the brotherly relations between the two countries under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud".

"I would also like to hail the distinguished ties between the interior ministers of the two countries that have developed in various security fields. We always value the genuine and supportive stands of Saudi Arabia to maintain security and order in Bahrain".

"Your Royal Highness, the police personnel in our brotherly countries have gained major security experiences in the field, especially in counter-terrorism operations. Their sacrifices are appreciated by all and would be remembered in their national history. This motivate us to benefit from those experiences by analyzing them to improve our performance".

"Finally, I wish Your Royal Highness a successful visit in reinforcing security cooperation in various fields to achieve the common goal of maintaining security and stability and take unified stands to face the current and future security challenges, through our determination, sincerity and dedication. We welcome Your Royal Highness among your family and brothers".

"The Interior Minister then presented a commemorative gift to his Saudi counterpart. The bilateral negotiations included decisions on several important security issues of common concern to reinforce the security cooperation and coordination and build upon the achievements on that score to improve performance in order to face security challenges and the rapid regional and international changes".

Source: BNA