India and Bahrain recently agreed to further strengthen their historic ties, including in areas of defence and maritime security, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Bahraini counterpart discussed the entire gamut of bilateral issues as well as regional and global matters of mutual interest.
The visit builds upon the close political ties and bilateral cooperation that exists between India and Bahrain. The two sides signed agreements in the fields of economic and technical cooperation, defense and maritime security, space technology, trade and investment, infrastructure, Information Technology, information and communications technology (ICT), finance technology (FinTech), health, hydrocarbon, and renewable energy.
Agreements were signed between India and Bahrain to further strengthen their Covid-19 related cooperation. Bahrain appreciated the assistance provided by India during the pandemic through the supply of medicines, medical equipment and medical professionals.
They expressed satisfaction on the operationalisation of the Air Bubble arrangement between the two countries. Air bubbles (travel corridors or travel bubbles) are systems established between two countries that perceive each other to be safe and allow carriers of both the countries to fly passengers either way without any restrictions.
India renewed invitation to Bahrain for visiting India for the 3rd India-Bahrain High Joint Commission meeting to be held in the upcoming months. In 2019, India launched a USD 4.2 million redevelopment project of the Sri Krishna temple in the Bahraini capital, Manama.
The 200-year old temple stands as a testimony for the enduring India-Bahrain friendship. India also conveyed condolences on the demise of late Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, who significantly contributed to the strengthening of India-Bahrain relations and to the welfare of the Indian community in Bahrain.
It was in the late sixteenth century that trade relations between India and Bahrain were formally established. But, it might interest you to know that, their history goes back to about 5,000 years ago, to the period of Dilmun Civilization in Bahrain to the era of Indus valley civilization in India.
Bilateral Agreements/Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are the most important agreements entered into by two nations in recent times. Following is a list of bilateral agreements entered into between India and Bahrain.
|
Year |
Agreements/Memorandums of Understanding |
|
January 2004 |
Extradition Treaty |
|
May 2012 |
MoU on cooperation in the field of Information and Communication Technology |
|
February 2014 |
MoU on the establishment of a Joint High Commission |
|
February 2015 |
MOU on Water Resources Development and Management |
|
December 2015 |
Agreement on cooperation in combating international terrorism, transnational organised crime and trafficking in illicit drugs, narcotics and psychotropic substances and precursors chemicals |
|
July 2018 |
MoU for cooperation in the fields of Renewable Energy and Healthcare and Agreement on Exemption from Short Stay Visa for Holders of Diplomatic and Special/Official Passport |
|
March 2019 |
MoU on cooperation in the exploration and uses of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes |
|
November 2020 |
Agreement to strengthen their ties in areas of defence and maritime security, space technology, trade and investment, infrastructure, IT, FinTech, health, hydrocarbon and renewable energy |
|
April 2021 |
Agreement to strengthen bilateral defence and security cooperation, including through regular consultations in maritime security, combating piracy and counter-terrorism. |
India and Bahrain enjoy a growing bond of friendship. India and Bahrain have traditionally enjoyed close fraternal ties, based on shared values and a common interest in regional security. Both countries share strong developmental partnerships with a substantial presence in their respective economies. India is steadily increasing its engagement in the Gulf region and in particular with the Kingdom of Bahrain. Total bilateral trade stands at USD 1282.96 million in 2018-19 and USD 753.60 million in 2019-20 (April-Dec).
Indian Exports to Bahrain: Mineral fuels and oils, inorganic chemicals, organic or inorganic compounds of precious metals of rare earth, cereals, nuts, fruits, articles of apparel and clothing accessories etc.Indian Imports from Bahrain: Crude oils, mineral fuels and their bituminous substance, distillation, aluminium, fertilizers, ores/slags/ashes of aluminium, iron and copper, pulp, etc.
Indian investment in Bahrain: India’s total capital investment into Bahrain between January 2003 and March 2018 has been estimated at approximately USD 1.69 billion.
Around 3,50,000 Indians are living in Bahrain currently and around 70% are in the category of unskilled labour. The population of Indians in Bahrain is divided into various groups based on their States and professions/employment.
The Indian Expatriate Community is a significant portion of Bahrain’s population. In addition to the predominant blue-collar labour force, there is a sizable number of other professionals who play a vital role in Bahrain’s socio-economic development.
In November 2015, Bahrain launched the ‘Little India in Bahrain’ project to acknowledge and mark the contribution of the Indian community to the history and progress of Bahrain.
