The historical relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain are characterized by the continuity of communication, friendship and love between the leaderships and peoples of the two countries.
The relations between the two brotherly countries witness a high level of coordination in their stances on regional and international issues, based on the common constants and visions that bring them together towards various issues, brotherhood ties, ties of kinship, intermarriage and lineage, and the unity of destiny that unites their peoples, as well as their geographical neighborhood and membership. In the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, the League of Arab States, and many regional and global organizations and forums.
The visit of His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense - may God protect him - to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries confirmed the firm position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the importance of preserving the solidarity of the GCC states and the depth of brotherhood among all its peoples.
Out of fraternal duty, the Kingdom stood against Iranian ambitions in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and supported it in confronting subversive projects aimed at destabilizing its security and stability and compromising its independence and national sovereignty. The Kingdom will continue to support the Kingdom of Bahrain, the government and people, in the face of all that threatens its stability.
The Kingdom of Bahrain highly appreciates the great role played by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in providing all means of comfort, tranquility and tranquility for the pilgrims, Umrah pilgrims and visitors.
It always affirms that it was and will remain in one line with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its leading and pioneering role to consolidate and strengthen security and peace in the region and the world as a whole, and against everything that targets its security and its full support in all the measures it takes to eliminate terrorist organizations, renewing its firm position that rejects terrorism and affirms The necessity of international documentation in order to eliminate terrorism that threatens all countries and peoples without distinction or discrimination, and to rid the world of this dangerous scourge and all those who support and finance it.
Within the framework of the well-established fraternal and historical ties that unite the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain and their two brotherly peoples, and based on the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his brother, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, may God protect them, the Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council was established. To contribute to strengthening the fraternal and distinguished bilateral relations existing between the two countries in all fields.
Among the tops of distinguished relations between the two countries, the second meeting of the Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council was held, headed by His Royal Highness, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, and from the Bahraini side, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. On the sidelines of the visit of His Highness the Crown Prince - may God protect him - to the Kingdom of Bahrain as part of his Gulf tour during the month of December 2021 AD, where His Excellency the Minister of Economy and Planning participated in his capacity as Chairman of the Coordination Committee in the fields of economy, energy, trade and industry.
The visit of His Highness the Crown Prince to the Kingdom of Bahrain witnessed the announcement, during the meeting of the Joint Coordination Council, that the Public Investment Fund intends to invest $5 billion in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council is the umbrella through which the relationship between the two countries will be developed. To raise the level of cooperation in all fields, in accordance with regular and sustainable institutional work in the political, economic, security, military, investment, development and cultural fields, in order to achieve common interests, in accordance with the aspirations of the two brotherly leaderships and peoples.
On the sidelines of His Highness the Crown Prince's visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain during his recent Gulf tour, a number of memoranda of understanding were signed between the two countries in the fields of cybersecurity, protection of intellectual property rights, standardization, and conformity assessment procedures for biodegradable plastic products.
The King Fahd Causeway, linking the two kingdoms, contributed to strengthening social and economic ties between the two countries, and helped in the development of the tourism, entertainment and trade sectors in the Kingdom of Bahrain. facing economic work and facilitating the transfer of capital between the two countries.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is Bahrain's first trading partner, while Bahrain is the Kingdom's second trading partner between the Gulf states and the 12 countries in the world. The volume of trade exchange between the two countries has reached $7.2 billion, of which Bahraini exports to the Kingdom represent 60%.
The value of Saudi investments in Bahrain has exceeded 13 billion riyals, while the number of Saudi companies has reached about 896 joint stock companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain working in the fields of travel, shipping, trade, engineering, and other fields.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in turn, represents an economic strategic depth for the Kingdom of Bahrain. Being a large economic market for the Bahraini private sector to promote Bahraini goods and products, Bahrain also represents an extension of the Saudi market in promoting Saudi goods and products.
In this context, the Bahraini and Saudi Businessmen Council plays a major role in increasing the volume of business and joint ventures.
The year 1438 AH witnessed the visit of an investment delegation from the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Royal Commission in Jubail; To view the Ras Al-Khair Industrial City and learn about the existing investments and the opportunities available therein in the industrial, development and service fields.
And in implementation of the framework arrangements for financial cooperation regarding the financial balance program that were signed between the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Kuwait and the Arab Monetary Fund, a financial cooperation agreement was signed between the governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain at the beginning of the year 1440 AH.
Due to the economic policies that the Kingdom of Bahrain enjoys based on openness, diversification of sources of income and the enactment of legislation to protect investors and investments, it was able to attract many Saudi investments to it, and it has acquired the largest share of the Bahraini investment market.
As an extension of the economic cooperation between the two brotherly countries, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, inaugurated in Manama on Rabi` al-Awwal 18, 1440 AH, the new oil pipeline with Saudi-Bahraini cooperation between Saudi Aramco and Bahraini Bapco, with a current pumping rate of 220,000 barrels per day, with a maximum capacity of 350,000 barrels per day, and a length of 110 km, linking the Saudi Abqaiq plants with the Bahraini Baku refinery.
The tourism movement between the two countries is witnessing a remarkable growth thanks to the measures taken by the two countries with regard to entry and exit through the King Fahd Causeway, including allowing Saudis and Bahrainis to enter both countries using identity cards only, in addition to Bahrain’s efforts to develop tourism activity through the establishment of advanced tourist facilities. Encouraging family tourism and one-day tourism, which have attracted a large number of Saudis; Due to the geographical proximity and ease of entry through the King Fahd Causeway, whose length does not exceed 25 kilometers between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Eastern Province.
The Saudi Customs and its Bahraini counterpart had announced in Rabi’ al-Thani 1439 AH the activation of the “fast track” at the King Fahd Causeway from the Saudi and Bahraini sides. With the aim of ending all customs procedures for exports, smooth movement of goods, and flow of trucks.
In the cultural issue, the cooperation relations between the two countries are diffuse to cover all artistic, literary, heritage and media fields, where fine arts exhibitions are held periodically in both countries, in addition to the two countries’ interest in organizing cultural days festivals annually, and Bahrain is keen to participate in the activities of Saudi festivals.
In the field of air navigation, the Saudi Air Navigation Services Company signed an executive work program in the field of air navigation with the Air Traffic Department in Civil Aviation Affairs of the Ministry of Transport and Communications in the Kingdom of Bahrain; To establish an official channel for practical and constructive exchange between specialists in the fields of air navigation, to find a common base between them in technical and operational aspects, and to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the two parties; To raise the level of air navigation between the two countries and the Middle East region.
In the military field, the two countries stand at the same distance towards everything that affects the security of the region and the Gulf, and this stance is reinforced by periodic meetings between the military leaders of the two countries, as well as the implementation of joint military exercises between them.
The relations between the two countries have been distinguished during the last period, including the launch of the Digital Cooperation Organization, the pioneering passport; With the aim of simplifying the procedures related to doing business across borders, it was announced on the sidelines of the “LEAP” technical conference hosted by Riyadh at the beginning of Rajab this year, in the presence of the Bahraini Minister of Transport and Communications, as Bahrain is a member of the Digital Cooperation Organization, along with Jordan, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
The leaderships of the two countries attached great importance to the energy sector between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain, as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia looks forward to continuing to support the Kingdom of Bahrain for joint action, full compliance with the specified production quotas, and the compensation mechanism.
The two governments also welcome the encouragement of cooperation between Saudi Aramco and the Bahrain Oil and Gas Holding Company, and the exchange of experiences in the field of oil and gas.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has also adopted the principle of a circular carbon economy; To contribute to addressing carbon emissions in an economically sustainable manner.
The circular carbon economy is built around four principles: reduce, reuse, recycle and decarbonize.
The two countries also agreed to identify areas of cooperation in relation to hydrogen, develop technologies in relation to its transportation and storage, and exchange expertise and experience; To apply best practices in the field of hydrogen projects.
The joint bilateral work with the Bahraini side has also led to international climate policies focusing on emissions and not sources, through the application of the circular carbon economy approach at the international level, and joint coordination with regard to the national contributions (NDC), and long-term strategies; to consider this approach.
The Kingdom looks forward to cooperating with the Bahraini side in the field of developing and employing clean technologies for hydrocarbons.
The two governments also explored the solutions that the circular economy offers to carbon in the face of risks and opportunities related to climate, green finance and investment, and in particular those related to the current recommendations for climate-related financial disclosures (TCFD).
Among the current and future aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector is the “oil, gas and petrochemical sector”, where Aramco Trading Company is currently purchasing crude oil from the Abu Safah field, under a contract to purchase 38,000 barrels per day.
Among the business of SABIC, it has some business to sell petrochemical products in the Kingdom of Bahrain, with a value of “19” million dollars annually, and it also owns an investment percentage in some companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain, such as: Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company “GPIC” in which it owns A share of 33.3%, and the Gulf Aluminum Rolling Company “GARMCO” in which it owns a percentage of “30.4%,” and the Aluminum Bahrain Company “Alba” in which it owns a percentage of “20.62%.”
Among the opportunities for cooperation between the two countries is an agreement at the level of the Ministry of Energy in the fields of energy, including the fields of atomic energy, and it is currently being studied in the Experts Committee in the Council of Ministers.
The Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority also wishes to enhance cooperation with the regulatory authority in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of monitoring nuclear and radiological uses, nuclear security, and regulating the circulation of nuclear and radioactive materials through border crossings, as well as the existing areas of cooperation in the field of renewable energy.
As for the existing areas of cooperation in the electricity sector, the volume of cooperation with the Bahraini side and through the Saudi Electricity Company during the period “2018-2022” amounted to about “136.2” million Saudi riyals, focused on the supply of materials, spare parts and a contract to provide specialized labor.
Read also the kingdomThe Republic of Benin supports the Kingdom’s request to host the World Expo 2030
Among the existing cooperation opportunities between the Kingdom and Bahrain in the field of artificial intelligence: transfer of knowledge, experiences and best practices in the field of digital transformation, and the application of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, in the energy sector, in light of the experience of the National Oil and Gas Authority in the Kingdom of Bahrain with the “Oil and Gas 4.0” initiative “.
Among the aspects of cooperation is the development of a joint plan aimed at localizing products and services related to all energy sectors (hydrocarbons, conventional and renewable energy), developing local human cadres, and joint work on identifying priority products and services in the energy sector.
In addition to opportunities for cooperation in the field of studies and research, the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center is working with a Studies Center in Bahrain to help organize the second IAEE Middle East Symposium; To highlight the energy economics activity in the Middle East and North Africa regions.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain have common positions in international financial organizations and forums, such as: the Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which aims to enhance financial and economic integration among the countries of the Cooperation Council, and promote joint Gulf action, leading to economic unity by 2025, as well as Cooperation in the Arab Economic and Social Council in the League of Arab States.
The two kingdoms work closely in the Coordination Committee in the fields of economy, energy, trade and industry, co-chaired by His Excellency the Saudi Minister of Finance and His Excellency the Bahraini Minister of Finance; To achieve goals that serve economic and financial integration between the two kingdoms, it is one of the committees emanating from the Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council.
The Kingdom is one of the three countries that provided financial support for the Financial Balance Program to the Kingdom of Bahrain during the last period, with a total support of $10 billion from the three countries, according to the Agreement on Framework Arrangements for Financial Cooperation on the Program, signed in 2018 between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the three countries, and the Arab Monetary Fund as An advisory body, as the Kingdom continues to review the latest developments on the program’s initiatives with the concerned parties, and the progress of the program’s implementation to achieve the goal of achieving a financial balance between government revenues and expenditures in the year 2024.
The Kingdom continues to support the efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain to implement further reforms to enhance the stability of public finances and support sustainable economic growth.
Diplomatic activities agreements between the two countries flourished and reached levels that express the interdependence of the two countries, including the bilateral relations between the two countries in 2021, when His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, held in the capital, Riyadh, A meeting with His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, during which they reviewed the close relations between the two countries and areas of Saudi-Bahraini cooperation in various aspects; To achieve more bilateral achievements for the two brotherly countries.
In addition to the distinguished economic relations between the two countries, the two countries have good economic and trade relations that made Bahrain rank 11th among the main trading partners of the Kingdom in 2019. The Kingdom’s exports to Bahrain amounted to 27.2 billion Saudi riyals in 2019, and the value of the Kingdom’s imports from them during 2019 6.4 billion Saudi riyals, and a surplus in the trade balance amounted to 20.7 billion Saudi riyals in 2019 in favor of the Kingdom.
The trade exchange between the two countries reached its peak in 2021 at the end of December, with exports amounting to $7021 million, while imports amounting to $2,606 million, while the trade volume between them amounted to $9627 million, and the trade balance amounted to $4416 million.
The contribution of the Industrial Fund to support and finance 11 joint projects with Bahrain, with a financing value of more than 1.48 billion riyals, in addition to Bahraini investments in the cities of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, most notably: Methanol Chemicals Company in Jubail with an investment volume of 1.96 billion riyals. And the Gulf Metal Alloy Company in Jubail with an investment of 146 million riyals.
Regarding the most important exports and imports between the two countries, vehicles and spare parts are the Kingdom's most important exports to Bahrain, reaching 2.3 billion riyals in 2020.
In terms of Saudi imports from Bahrain, building materials are the most with 3.1 billion riyals until the end of 2020.
As for the volume of trade exchange between the two countries, the Kingdom's non-oil exports to Bahrain amounted to seven billion riyals, followed by imports to 6.6 billion riyals during the year 2020.
The Kingdom of Bahrain is characterized by an ambitious economic renaissance, as the number of companies has reached 161, with 1,303 employees.
It is also one of the first organized countries in the World Trade Organization in 1995 AD, and it is a high-income country, with per capita income ranked 28 out of 133 countries studied, and it is ranked 61st among the most complex countries in the classification of the economic composition index.
Compared to the past ten years, the Bahraini economy has become more structured, which has led to its advancing four places in the economic structure ranking.
The governments of the two countries paid attention to the health field, as they signed in Riyadh on Rabi’ Al-Thani 13, 1443 a memorandum of understanding on activating the health passport and achieving technical integration between the Saudi “Tawakulna” applications and the Bahraini “conscious society”. To facilitate the movement of travelers, citizens and residents, between the two countries via the King Fahd Causeway, and to verify their compliance with the health procedures and requirements in force within the framework of the efforts of the two kingdoms to confront the Corona virus “Covid-19”.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by: Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), and Mohammed bin Ali Al-Qaed, CEO of the Information and e-Government Authority in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Kingdom, Sheikh Hamoud bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. And a number of their excellencies and happiness from both sides.
This cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain aims to ensure the implementation of the preventive and control measures taken by the two brotherly countries in the context of combating the Corona virus; To facilitate the movement of movement across the King Fahd Causeway, and to benefit from the technical integration between the “Tawakulna” applications in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the “conscious society” in the Kingdom of Bahrain, by linking the health passport data with the passport systems in the two countries; To determine the ability of the traveler to enter based on the health requirements of the Corona virus.
The connection process will contribute to the speedy completion of travel procedures, saving time and effort for travelers, and enabling the cadres working at the King Fahd Causeway to immediately verify all personal and health data of travelers, in addition to enhancing the level of protection and confidentiality of all data.