Blinken meets Bahrain's Foreign Minister in Washington

Two leaders discuss plans to 'deepen co-operation under Abraham Accords'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. AP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday met Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in Washington, where the two leaders discussed a range of issues including the future of the Abraham Accords.

“Their meeting marks the culmination of the third US-Bahrain Strategic Dialogue and highlights the enduring nature of the US-Bahrain strategic partnership and the deepening co-operation across the range of shared interests,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

“The Secretary and the Foreign Minister also discussed efforts to deepen co-operation under the Abraham Accords.”

The Abraham Accords normalised relations between the UAE and Bahrain with Israel, a major foreign relations accomplishment achieved in 2020 during the Donald Trump administration. Morocco and Sudan later signed similar agreements with Israel.

President Joe Biden in June appointed Daniel Shapiro to expand the Abraham Accords and further the development of the aims of the Negev Forum.

Mr Blinken and Mr Al Zayani also “discussed regional security and reviewed the partnership between the two countries on educational and cultural exchanges, expansion of economic ties, advancement of human rights, border and security programmes, and law enforcement collaboration”, Mr Miller said.

The leaders also discussed efforts to “deter Iran’s destabilising activities” in the region and “support to Ukraine in defending itself against Russia’s aggression and the need to address the war’s humanitarian impact”.

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