Manama: Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, met with Marina Hadjimanolis, Deputy Minister of Shipping to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, during her official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

 Both sides discussed means to further strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation in maritime affairs, serving the shared interests of the two countries.

The meeting reviewed opportunities to develop institutional and technical cooperation in the maritime sector and exchange expertise and best practices. They also discussed issues of mutual interest, including developing maritime services, improving the sector’s efficiency and enhancing coordination between the relevant authorities in the two countries.

Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed and Minister Hadjimanolis signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in maritime affairs between the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications of Bahrain and the Ministry of Shipping of Cyprus, with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation and expanding partnership opportunities in the maritime sector on the basis of mutual benefit.

The MoU covers areas of maritime cooperation, including maritime safety and security, search and rescue, protection of the marine environment, as well as training, exchange of expertise, innovation and modern technologies related to the maritime sector.

Both sides also discussed means to implement areas of cooperation through joint programmes and initiatives and the exchange of expertise and experience, contributing to the development of the maritime sector and enhancing opportunities for trade and investment cooperation between institutions and companies in the two countries.

The signing of the MoU builds on the existing maritime cooperation between the Kingdom and Cyprus, supporting the development of maritime cooperation and building on previous partnerships.