MP Dr. Hassan Eid Boukhmas, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and National Security Committee, affirmed that the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to Italy represents a continuation of Bahrain’s established diplomacy led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the esteemed King of Bahrain. He pointed out that this visit confirms the Kingdom’s steadfast approach to building strategic partnerships based on mutual respect and shared interests.

Boukhmas added that the joint statement clearly praised Bahrain’s role in enhancing regional stability, and Bahrain’s international standing was reflected in its congratulation on being elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2026-2027 term, a major diplomatic achievement that strengthens the Kingdom’s position on the global political map.

He noted that the outcomes of the visit included signing agreements to enhance cooperation in vital fields such as energy security, environmental transformation, water management, and waste-to-energy conversion. Italian companies will contribute to developing Bahrain’s infrastructure, especially in construction, transportation, tourism, and smart cities, in addition to strengthening cooperation to ensure safe and sustainable food supply chains, supporting local food production in Bahrain, and expanding the partnership scope to include research, innovation, and space.

Regarding political and diplomatic alignment between the two countries, the committee chairman explained that there is significant convergence in visions between Bahrain and Italy, manifested in calls for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, the release of all hostages, ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid, affirming support for the two-state solution, supporting Syria’s territorial integrity, the importance of Iran’s commitment to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, resuming serious negotiations, and establishing peace in Ukraine.

He highlighted that these converging political visions create fertile ground to enhance economic cooperation, reflected in a package of agreements signed during the visit, including the “Strategic Cooperation and Investment Partnership” aimed at increasing trade and investment volume between the two countries, along with various sectoral agreements covering space cooperation, customs cooperation to boost trade exchange, banking partnerships, and expanding cooperation in vital sectors such as energy, environmental transformation, food security, construction, transportation, smart cities, and tourism.

Regarding defense cooperation, Boukhmas emphasized that strengthening the vital defense partnership between the two countries has deep strategic implications, foremost of which is enhancing regional security, confirming that this cooperation is considered a pillar to support security and stability in the region.

He added that this cooperation includes exchanging expertise and logistical support, with both sides keen to enhance this partnership militarily and industrially, meaning that cooperation is not limited to the field side only but extends to knowledge and technology transfer, supporting the building of Bahrain’s self-defense capabilities in the long term.