MANAMA: His Majesty King Juan Carlos I expressed Spain’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations with Bahrain and the wider GCC, in particular across trade, investment, and cultural exchanges.
In this regard he particularly emphasised the expertise of Spain’s private sector in the fields of renewable energy, information communications technology, and transport infrastructure – all areas that hold strong potential of cooperation with Bahrain.
His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain was addressing in presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister during the Bahrain-Spain Business Forum.
The Forum, which aimed at identifying opportunities to strengthen bilateral ties between Bahrain and Spain, was held at Shaikh Hamad Palace in Gudaibiya.
His Majesty King Juan Carlos I first addressed the forum, highlighting the longstanding ties between the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Bahrain, and thanking His Majesty King Hamad for the invitation to visit Bahrain.
His Majesty King Juan Carlos I concluded by stressing the importance of international cooperation and coordination to ensure security and stability in the region. To this end he welcomed the leadership shown by His Majesty King Hamad, and the value of such meetings and visits to enhancing relations and strengthening coordination.
Following the speech of His Majesty King Juan Carlos I, His Royal Highness Prince Salman, the Crown Prince, addressed the Forum.
His Royal Highness highlighted the historical and cultural legacy that has linked Spain with the Arab World since the eighth century and the ongoing opportunities to enhance trade and cultural exchange.
His Royal Highness praised the forum for reinforcing the crucial role of the private sector in maximising opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.
Addressing His Majesty King Juan Carlos, His Royal Highness expressed the Kingdom’s deep interest in expanding ties between Spain and Bahrain, building on the strength of relations that have existed over 40 years.
He further highlighted the 2008 agreement to protect economic and trade cooperation between the two countries as a key milestone of bilateral relations.
His Royal Highness concluded by extending a warm welcome to Spanish companies wishing to conduct business in Bahrain, highlighting the Kingdom’s mature market, connectivity, highly skilled workforce and transparent regulatory system.
His Majesty King Juan Carlos was joined by a high level delegation of representatives from the Spanish government in addition to a range of major Spanish businesses from the defence, infrastructure, transport and financial sectors.
The Forum was then addressed by government Ministers from Spain and Bahrain, highlighting the prospects for further cooperation between the two countries. Speeches were given by Pedro Morenés Eulate, Minister of Defence of Spain; Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of State for Defence Affairs of Bahrain; José Manuel Soria López, Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism of Spain; Dr. Hassan A. Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Bahrain; Ana María Pastor Julián, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructures of Spain; Essam Khalaf, Minster of Works of Bahrain and Rasheed Mohammed Almaraj, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain.
The Forum also included a discussion panel on the various business and investment opportunities available to Bahraini and Spanish companies. For Bahrain, Jawad Alhawaj, Vice Chairman of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Dr. Esam Fakhro, Chairman of Abdullah Yousef Fakhro & Sons Group; Abdulrahman Jawahery, President, Gulf Petrochemical Industries Co. (GPIC); Mahmood Alkooheji, Chief Executive of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company; Dr. Samer Aljishi, Managing Director of BFG International spoke during the panel.
Spain was represented by Javier Monzón, President of Indra; Pablo Vázquez Vega, President of Ingeniería y Economía del Transporte (INECO), and Juan Bejar, CEO of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC).
The Forum concluded with a range of business to business (B2B) talks, aimed at further exploring investment opportunities.