Italy enjoys "excellent" relations with Bahrain and is keen to bolster trade and business ties with the Gulf state, deputy foreign minister Marina Sereni said on Wednesday, according to a foreign ministry statement.
"The excellent state of relations between our countries is shown by the recent visit of the crown prince to Italy and the opening of Bahrain's embassy in Rome," Sereni told Bahrain's undersecretary for international affairs, Sheikh Abdulla Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa during a video call.
“We want to strengthen bilateral trade and the presence of Italian companies in Bahrain," Sereni said.
Italy will work to establish a joint commission, Sereni went on, according to the statement. She and al-Khalifa agreed that cooperation must encompass the political, scientific, technological and cultural spheres, the statement said.
Italy welcomes the landmark accords in September normalising relations between Bahrain and Israel, Sereni said.
"We welcome these agreements as a contribution to reducing tensions in the Middle East region and at the same time appreciate the Israeli government's willingness to suspend annexation plans in the West Bank, in the hope that this is a final decision," Sereni stated.
Sereni reiterated Italy's support for "a fair and sustainable end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, on the basis of the two-state solution, negotiated directly by the parties, which is the only possible way to ensure peace and stability in the entire Middle East," the statement noted.
Sereni and al-Khalifa'a discussions also covered Iran's rising influence in the region and the conflict in Libya, the statement added.
