Bahrain working to 'speed up' approval of Pak-GCC free trade pact, foreign minister says

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani announced on Thursday that his country is working to expedite the approval of a free trade agreement between Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The statement followed the third session of the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Islamabad, where Al Zayani co-chaired the meeting with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

During the press briefing with Dar, Al Zayani highlighted that the JMC discussed more than 15 fields, including commitments to establish joint working groups on trade and investment, energy, food security, information technology, law enforcement, media, labor mobility, health, education, culture, and sports. The Bahraini minister also mentioned that Bahrain, as the current GCC presidency, is focused on accelerating the signing or approval of the GCC-Pakistan free trade agreement, which is expected to be finalized by late 2025.

Al Zayani praised the healthy and strong bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Bahrain, emphasizing its value to the Bahraini people. He also expressed appreciation for Pakistan's principled positions on regional issues, including its support for a UN Security Council resolution condemning Iranian attacks on GCC countries and efforts to facilitate US-Iran dialogue and de-escalation.

The Bahraini minister condemned the recent terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabia's airports and the Houthi militia's attacks on civilians in Saudi Arabia's holy cities, reaffirming Bahrain's solidarity with Saudi Arabia and supporting the importance of freedom and safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab. Dar thanked Al Zayani and his delegation for their constructive engagement, reaffirming the commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation across various sectors.