MANAMA: The Zionist entity’s foreign minister agreed Monday with his Bahraini counterpart to boost trade relations, during his first visit to one of the two Gulf Arab states to establish ties with the Zionist entity. “The foreign minister and I agreed that we should work together to increase the number of direct flights, the tourism, the trade volume, the investment,” Eli Cohen said during a ceremony to inaugurate the Zionist entity’s new embassy.

The embassy in the capital Manama will replace the first embassy the Zionist entity opened in 2021, a year after it established diplomatic relations with Bahrain as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Under the accords, the Zionist entity also established ties with the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. Monday’s ceremony was attended by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, who said the “new embassy assumes a pivotal role” in growing collaboration between the two countries.

Zayani said his talks with Cohen on Monday resulted in an agreement on advancing “relations across the broadest range of fields, including, economic, investment, trade and other areas.” Cohen arrived in Bahrain on Sunday, accompanied by a business delegation of more than 30 companies working in high-tech, logistics and real estate. Earlier on Monday, he met Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa and discussed “the importance of advancing a free trade agreement and projects to connect youths in (the Zionist entity) and Bahrain”, Cohen posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“We look forward to expanding the circle of peace and normalization to other states in the area,” he said. Despite now having steady ties with the Zionist entity, Bahrain and the UAE have joined other Gulf Arab states in issuing a series of condemnations against it this year. Raids on the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and the Jenin Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank were among Zionist moves that sparked a Gulf outcry.

However, Cohen’s trip coincides with growing speculation about an impending normalization deal between the Zionist entity and Saudi Arabia, which is not a signatory to the Abraham Accords. Riyadh and Washington have held talks on Saudi conditions for progress on normalization with the Zionist entity, according to people briefed on the meetings.

“There are more Arab and Muslim countries that have shown interest in taking a step forward in joining the peace circle,” Cohen told a press conference in Manama, without naming them. In Bahrain, Cohen also visited the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet base where he discussed maritime security cooperation, according to a statement by US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT). The visit “underscores our expanding partnership with (the Zionist entity)”, NAVCENT commander Vice-Admiral Brad Cooper was quoted as saying. – AFP