Leaders of Bahrain and India today agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of trade, investment and technology for the common benefits of the two friendly peoples.

Bahrain's His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi for official talks, in the presence of the two countries' official delegations.

Bahrain's King is on an official visit to India.

HM King Hamad said he and the Indian Premier shared the common desire and vision to build stronger and more solid relations, noting that his visit aimed to strengthen ties bonding the two nations  - 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations and 7,000 years since the beginning of prosperous trade, a BNA report said.

He stressed that Bahrain will never forget the sacrifices and contributions of the Indian community to its modern renaissance.
He praised the "valuable" efforts of the Indian expatriate community whose members, he said, have become part of the national fabric of the kingdom, noting that they are fully free to practise their religious rituals, just like Bahraini citizens and other communities, and have the right to be members of professional associations and elect their representatives to local municipal councils.

Singh welcomed HM the King and his accompanying delegation and expressed sincere thanks for accepting the invitation to visit India, the first of its kind for a long time.

He described King Hamad's visit to India as a "really historic" one.

"We are happy that a friend of ours is leading the kingdom of Bahrain, and I hope that we will work together to achieve the vision of HM King Hamad and our common visions regarding the solid and vital Indian-Bahraini partnership," he said.

The Indian Premier asserted that the visit reflects joint commitment to consolidate bilateral relations based on mutual interests, historical bonds and unique relations between the two peoples.

He said that India and Bahrain enjoyed cordial friendly ties based on bilateral historical and cultural bonds, noting that the presence of the Indian expatriate community in Bahrain enhances the two countries' "ever-lasting" relations.

Singh expressed sincere thanks and gratitude to the Bahraini government and people for hosting and supporting a large Indian community, whose members, he said, contributed to "Bahrain's development" through hard work and dedication, noting that those contributions have been praised by the Bahraini leadership.

He pointed out that "under HM King Hamad's wise leadership, Bahrainis can decide the best ways their country can carry on the peace and prosperity marches."

HM King Hamad expressed appreciation and pride in the Indian Prime Minister's keenness on strengthening bilateral friendly relations.

He expressed his strong belief that the two countries have joint interest, and that the civilisational heritage and huge potentials can enable them to build a "strong Asian partnership".

"In today's world, no country can advance on its own, and only countries with clear future visions can achieve more success through boosting joint efforts," he said.

HM King Hamad expressed delight at signing agreements in the educational, youth, sports and foreign affairs fields to achieve joint interests, adding that other joint projects and agreements in the industrial, trade, investment and financial fields will be signed between the private sector in both countries and will be announced during the visit.

HM the King said that Bahrain and other GCC countries do represent an important part of Asia, given their strategic location and huge energy potentials.

He affirmed that "with our distinguished potentials and characteristics, we are keen on spurring global economy for the sake of achieving more sustainable development and stability, and ensuring that such vital energy reaches our friends without obstacles," adding that "with India's support and partnership, we are able to build a strong coalition."

HM King Hamad valued highly India's crucial role in promoting global security and stability, and praised its efforts in combating terrorism, and supportive stances towards Arab rights, reiterating keenness to "enhance partnership with India in order to achieve security, peace and progress for our countries and peoples."

HM King Hamad and the Indian Prime Minister patronised the signing of a number of memoranda of understanding (MoU).