MOSCOW. April 30 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bahraini Crown Prince Salman Al Khalifa met in the Kremlin on Wednesday to discuss the Middle East peace process and the situation in Syria and Iran.
"I would like to talk to you about your vision of the situation in the region in general. I mean all the components of this fairly complex process: the Israeli-Palestinian talks, the situation in Egypt, I am curious to know the opinion of your government, and the situation around Syria and Iran," Putin said at the beginning of the meeting.
For his part, Al Khalifa acknowledged "the instability of the geopolitical situation" in the region.
Although Russia and Bahrain "cannot boast major economic relations," the diplomatic and political relations between the two countries have always been very kind, the Russian president said.
Putin asked the crown prince to pass cordial greetings to the King of Bahrain, to which Al Khalifa replied with best regards from the King of Bahrain who, he said, had asked him to do whatever is necessary to develop and enhance the bilateral relations.
Russia and Bahrain have already been successful in their military-technical cooperation, Al Khalifa said. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Bahraini sovereign fund Mumtalakat, he recalled. Also, an agreement has been reached that a Bahraini airline will operate direct flights to Moscow.
"I believe now is the right and even high time for us to develop and improve our relationship. I am 44 years old, and, to my shame, I can say that this is only my first visit to Russia. Your country is wonderful. I was touched by the Russian people, the culture of Russia, its architecture, history," the Bahraini crown prince said.