Bahrain Embassy Celebrates 48th National Day in Jakarta
Jakarta, MINA – The Bahrain Embassy to Indonesia celebrated the 48th Bahrain National Day which falls on December 16, 2019, in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Bahrain’s Ambassador to Indonesia Mohamed Ghassan Shaikho said Bahrain is considered an important regional economic and financial center.
“Bahrain is also home to a large number of global Islamic financial services companies,” Ambassador Shaikho said in his speech.
Bahrain’s role as the world’s financial and banking center has been initiated since the 1920s. One by one global-scale financial and banking companies open branches in the country. In 1979, Islamic banking in Bahrain was established under the name Bahrain Islamic Bank.
“Bahrain is a bridge that connects finance and conventional banking with Islam,” Ambassador Shaikho said.
He also said his country also laid out a comprehensive and integrated economic vision aimed at making the economy more sustainable by 2030.
In celebration of the 48th Bahrain National Day, the Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs Teten Masduki, the KADIN Middle East-OIC Committee leader, national officials and figures, as well as a number of ambassadors from friendly countries, especially the Palestinian Ambassador.
“On behalf of the government and people of the Republic of Indonesia, I congratulate the government and people of Bahrain on the 48th Bahrain National Day Celebration,” Teten said in his remarks.
Indonesia said Bahrain was an important partner, for that he hope the relations between the two countries would continue to be stronger, especially in bilateral relations.
He emphasized the strengthening of economic cooperation that was the focus of discussions during the visit of Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, in Manama, Bahrain, 3 September 2019 ago.
Some economic cooperation discussed included the agreement to negotiate an investment agreement and increase direct contact between entrepreneurs of the two countries. Bahrain plans to send a trade mission to Indonesia this year.
Specifically, Teten stated that the issue of Palestine became one of the main concerns of the two countries. Both countries have the same view regarding the importance of support for the Palestinian cause. Bahrain also appreciates the active role of Indonesia in defending the struggle of Palestinian people.
“We (Indonesia) together with Bahrain affirm support for Palestinian independence with its Jerusalem Capital. “The two-state solution remains one of the best choices for finding a lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” he stressed.
Indonesia-Bahrain diplomatic relations officially began in 1976. Based on data from the Indonesian Ministry of Trade, the total trade between RI-Bahrain in 2018 reached US$ 116,613 million, with export value reaching US$ 46.67 million, while in 2017, total trade reached US$ 206,308 million, with exports reaching US$ 47,348 million.
Bahrain sees Indonesia as an important market in ASEAN, while Indonesia sees Bahrain as a gateway to enter the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
The two countries have agreed to encourage cooperation in various sectors, including bilateral cooperation between parliaments, trade, industry, technology, and the development of small and medium enterprises. Bahrain is particularly interested in ensuring their food security and has shown an interest in investing in Indonesian food commodities. (T/Sj/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)