Sri Lankan Ambassador meets Deputy Prime Minister of Kingdom of Bahrain

Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Jawad Bin Salem Alarrayed with the Ambassador of Sri Lanka Dr. Saj Mendis during the meeting at Riffa Palace of the Prime Minister in Manama, Bahrain

The Ambassador of Sri Lanka Dr. A. Saj U. Mendis last week called on Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Jawad Bin Salem Alarrayed, at the Riffa Palace of the Prime Minister, in order to discuss and brief issues of importance and significance vis-à-vis bilateral relations between the two countries. 

Dr. Jawad Alarrayed is one of the senior most political leaders in the Kingdom of Bahrain having been appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister in 2006. In the past he has held key and critical political offices such as Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs, Cabinet Affairs, Health and Justice. Dr. Alarrayed is a legal luminary and also functions as a key Advisor on Legal Affairs to the Prime Minister. 

The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed the Envoy, Dr. Mendis and stated that the bilateral relations, in all spheres, have been progressing steadily, particularly with the active participation of a competent, disciplined and committed expatriate workforce from Sri Lanka. The Deputy Prime Minister also added that the expatriate Sri Lankan workers have contributed to the advancement and evolution of the Kingdom of Bahrain, during the past decades. Ambassador Dr. Mendis underscored the vitality of the expatriate Sri Lankan workforce in the Gulf region including the Kingdom of Bahrain adding that the contribution of remittances is nearly 9% of the GDP, which is greater than the combined total contribution of garment sector, tourism, tea and gems and jewellery. He also expressed gratitude to the Deputy Prime Minister for providing a comfortable and congenial milieu for Sri Lankan expatriate workers to live and work in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

On behalf of the President and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ambassador Dr. Mendis expressed greetings and best wishes to the Deputy Prime Minister for demonstrating solidarity and unity to Sri Lanka, especially, at the most testing and trying times such as at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, among others. The Deputy Prime Minister also stated that Sri Lanka is well placed and well poised to become a rapidly developing nation, thus benefiting not only the South Asian region but the entire Asia. 

Ambassador Dr. Mendis enumerated the recent political and economic developments in the country including the election of the Sirisena Administration in January last year and the General Elections in August of last year, which had transformed and transmogrified the entire political and economic tapestry of the country. He added that the democratic norms, tenets and values are restored in the country with the election of the Government of Sirisena.

Ambassador Dr. Mendis also highlighted the recent high level visits between the two countries such as the visit of Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Principal Advisor to the Prime Minister and Chief of Labour Authority, known as Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), Ausamah Al Absi. Excellency Al Absi, President of LMRA visited Sri Lanka last week in order to conduct discussions with the counterpart Minister in Sri Lanka and senior most officials to strategise an efficacious course of action to secure employment to semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled Sri Lankans in Bahrain.  The Ambassador also added the constructive, productive and result oriented visit of the Minister of Industry and Commerce to the Kingdom of Bahrain in February of this year. These high level visits further widened and deepened the already close relations between the two countries.

The Deputy Prime Minister reitered that both Sri Lanka and Kingdom of Bahrain are island nation states and Bahrain would be eager to boost and to bolster economic and commercial cooperation, thus leading to the expansion and diversificatin of the economic base.