Bahrain and AUC to forge a closer cooperation

Addis Ababa – 20 September 2012-

During its three-day visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, from 17 to 19 September, the AUC Delegation led by the Chief of Staff of the Bureau of the AUC Chairperson, paid a courtesy call on H.R.H. the Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. the Speaker of the Parliament and the Minister of Trade and Industry. It also met and held extensive discussions with the Minister of State for Implementation, the President of H.R.H. the Prime Minister Court, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and the Under Secretary of the Ministry for Human Right Affairs and the Second Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The visit has confirmed the readiness and commitment of the Kingdom of Bahrain to enter into a meaningful dialogue with Africa, especially in the areas of trade and investment, though their prime interest seems concentrating around political cooperation.

The Bahrain Officials confirmed the desire of H.R.H. the Prime Minister to visit the African Union Commission and sign the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of his county.

The AUC Delegation highlighted the prevailing huge potentials in the African content and the objectives and the activities of the African Union in assisting political, economic social developments in the continent and facilitating cooperation between its Member States and the outside world. It also briefed the Officials on the existing cooperation with the League of Arab States and on the undergoing preparations for the 3rd Africa-Arab Summit as well the on-going negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), whose Secretary General is a Bahraini. The two sides noted that the cooperation with Bahrain could be a good entry point for cooperation with GCC.

Bahrain Officials urged for the early signing of the Memorandum of Understanding and strongly stressed the need for both sides to closely monitor its implementation. In discussing possible areas of cooperation, the two sides recalled that Africa and Bahrain have similar historical and political background and, hence, were in the view that they could cooperate in all sectors of development that are mutually beneficial to the peoples of the two sides. Emphasis was laid on cooperation in the areas of politics, trade, Investment, food security and cultural cooperation.

The two sides noted that the trade exchanges between Africa and the Kingdom of Bahrain are not at the expected level. This was basically because of lack of information on each others’ situation and poor infrastructural development. Hence they underscored the need to bridge the gap in order to enhance the trade volume and facilitate imports of African commodities to Bahraini market. The fact that Bahrain is currently importing meat from Australia and mango from Argentina, while, Africa, a neighbor in the next door, could provide all these and other agricultural products was sighted as an example for consideration in this regard. Discussions were also held on the role and contribution of the Africa-Arab Trade Fair in bringing together businessmen of the two sides. Bahrain was invited to attend the 7th Africa-Arab Trade Fair, scheduled for Morocco.

The two sides also underscored that Africa, a continent which is endowed with natural resources and trained manpower could be a good destination to Bahraini investment. In this regard the two sides agreed to encourage the private sector to play a lead role in this process. Tourism was also raised and discussed as one of the most promising areas of cooperation between the two sides. The need to promote cultural cooperation and people to people to interactions were also emphasized during the discussions.

The two sides appreciated the role information and communication could play in enhancing awareness on each other’s reality and agreed to give special emphasis to cooperation in this areas.

The AUC Delegation briefed the Speaker of the Parliament on the nature and functioning of the Pan African Parliament. The Speaker proposed for the two Parliaments to create direct links in order to enable them learn from each others’ experience.