Bahrain’s HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe renewed a push for a free trade agreement between the GCC and Japan as they held official talks yesterday.

Bahrain’s Premier stressed the need for more efforts to finalise the requirements of the agreement between both sides, said a report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations. The Premier said that bilateral talks focused on boosting co-operation to achieve common goals and strengthening political, economic and security relations.

The Premier hailed Abe's historic visit, the first by a Japanese Premier, commending Tokyo for supporting regional security and stability and backing the reform process in Bahrain.

The Premier pointed out the challenges facing GCC, which affected their development march.

"The GCC governments have succeeded in overcoming the challenges and embarking on further development achievements to enhance citizens' standards of living," he said.

Meanwhile, Bahrain and Japan voiced deep concern over the untenable regional situation, warning against the detrimental impact of mounting unrest on development.

The Premier commended Abe for realising the challenges facing the region. He stressed Bahrain's keenness to build a true partnership with Japan, particularly in security and defence sectors. – TradeArabia News Service