Bringing Bahrain, India closer

Manama : In a bid to bring Bahraini and Indian business entities closer, a roundtable discussion on boosting trade, investment and economic ties was held yesterday. 

Indian Ambassador Alok Kumar Sinha, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)’s Assistant Under-Secretary for Arab & Afro-Asian Affairs and Organisations Dr. Sheikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Alkhalifa, Bahraini and Indian businessmen, representatives from Invest India and Economic Development Board (EDB) and other invited guests took part in the discussion which was held at Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel yesterday morning.

According to the Indian Embassy, it was organised to expose business entities from both countries to the emerging opportunities in the various sectors in each other’s country.

Speaking during a press conference after the meeting, the Indian envoy said the discussions helped both sides understand each other better. 

“This meeting was to the interest of Bahraini businessmen who were looking for opportunities in India. There was a lot of interest on how to work with Invest India and pursue their interests. Likewise Indian companies showed interest in working with the EDB to pursue their interest in Bahrain,” Sinha said. 

EDB Managing Director Simon Galpin said that further cooperation would help both countries to grow by learning from each other’s successes. 

“This has been a very interesting and encouraging event. We have had some interesting feedback from many of the leading Indian companies. We have a lot to learn from India, for example, we can learn from the way they have facilitated start-ups and implement it in how we help the start-ups here in Bahrain.”

A representative from Invest India said the India regards Bahrain as one of the most important countries in the region. 

“Bahrain is one of the most important countries for us in the entire Middle East where we are looking for investments. It is not just about investments coming into India, it is also about the bilateral relationship between the two countries,” she said.