Christodoulides praises ‘wise and visionary leadership’ of Bahrain’s king

President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday praised the “wise and visionary leadership” of the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, saying that the monarch “has established the Kingdom of Bahrain as a beacon of international cooperation, as well as interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence”.

In a note written in the guestbook of Bahrain’s royal palace, he stressed his “appreciation” the work of both the king and of the country’s prime minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, “for their unwavering support in promoting our bilateral relations”.

He added that both the king and the prime minister have “further strengthened the longstanding cooperation and friendship between the Republic of Cyprus and the Kingdom of Bahrain”.

“I wish his majesty a long and prosperous reign and the people of the Kingdom of Bahrain continued peace, prosperity, and success. May the friendship between our two countries last a long time,” he wrote.

He is expected to remain in Bahrain for two days, with Sunday set to see him hold a private meeting with the king, before “extensive talks” between delegations from both countries will take place.

On Saturday, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis had said that the visit “is part of the government’s strategy to strengthen and deepen the relations between the Republic of Cyprus and the Gulf states”.

“It also constitutes a clear reaffirmation of the political will to further upgrade cooperation with Bahrain at the level of politics, the economy, energy, culture, and defence,” he said.

He added that relations between Cyprus and Bahrain “have been developing steadily and systematically in recent years”, and that this “culminated in the decision to establish a Cypriot embassy in Manama at the end of 2023”.

That embassy is to be inaugurated during the visit, with Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to be in attendance.

“The … visit reflects the Republic of Cyprus’ strategic choice to strengthen its role as a reliable and active partner in the wider region, to contribute to the deepening of relations between the European Union and the Gulf states, and to utilise Cyprus’ term as president of the Council of the EU as a platform for promoting stability and cooperation,” Letymbiotis said.

At the beginning of the year, Christodoulides had said he intends to leverage Cyprus’ geographical position to boost relations between the EU and countries in the Middle East during its six-month term as the holder of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency.

“The Republic of Cyprus will not only continue but will also substantially strengthen its efforts to further strengthen relations between the EU and the countries of the wider Middle East region. We will do so by leveraging our geographical position, our political credibility, and our longstanding knowledge of the specificities of the region,” he said.

He added that those traits “constitute advantages of responsibility and added value, both for Europe itself and for the region”, before speaking about the effect of Wednesday’s opening ceremony for the six-month term on those relations.