British Navy to get new, permanent Bahrain home
The groundbreaking ceremony of the British Naval Base in Bahrain was held yesterday at Mina Salman Bahrain Naval Headquarters, in the presence Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.
According to Hammond, the new navy base comes to reinsure stability in the Arabian Gulf region and strengthens the 200-year-old British-Bahraini relations.
He described the base as “a centre for the British military operations in the gulf region and beyond.” “We’ve been here for a very long time and we just haven’t had a permanent facility here. British ships have been patrolling in the gulf for almost the last 30 years, ensuring that the strait of Hurmuz is maintained open,” Hammond said.
He further elaborated while speaking to the press about the predicted roles of the new established British naval base saying, “Our role in the counter-IS operations is by air support. We support the operations from Cyprus principally and there is no direct support from this base.
But this base would provide more flexibility to respond to any emerging threats in the region, within the gulf or outside it. It enhances our range, giving Britain a permanent naval base for the first time since 1967.”
“It’s a turbulent region. If we look around, there’s Yemen, Iraq and Syria, and there are many threats in the region. This is to reassure regional countries that the international community is committed to the security of the gulf nations, by having a physical military presence,” he clarified.
The British secretary stated, “His Majesty the King was keen on building family accommodations so that the troops will be situated here for longer periods, giving the base a more permanent character.”
Speaking on similar lines, Shaikh Khalid commented, “Establishing this base is quite important. Our cooperation has been for decades and two centuries and now we continue to do that, considering the fact that more challenges are happening in the region.”
“The British, along with our allies and the fifth fleet of the US navy are here to protect the waters of the Arabian Gulf and to ensure freedom of navigation through the strait of Hurmuz and even beyond in to the Arabian Sea.”
The minister added, “This partnership is to defend against the aggression of all sorts. Be it countries against the region, maritime aggression such as piracy and all sorts of hindering of freedom of navigation in the region, it’s our responsibility to keep it open for the whole world,” he added.
Caption : Shaikh Khalid and Philip Hammond during the groundbreaking ceremony of the British Naval Base at Mina Salman Bahrain Naval Headquarters, yesterday.
Report by
Muhannad Mansour/DTNN
Pic : Muhamed Thasleem
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