The text of the following is a joint statement by the Governments of the United States and Bahrain.
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U.S. Acting Under Secretary for Political Affairs Ambassador John Bass and His Excellency Under Secretary for Political Affairs Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa held the final working group in the fourth annual meeting of the U.S.-Bahrain Strategic Dialogue today in Washington, D.C. The Strategic Dialogue reflects the commitment of the United States and Bahrain to enhancing bilateral and regional security, fostering economic innovation and prosperity, strengthening cultural and people-to-people ties, and upholding fundamental rights and values. The dialogue is a platform to advance practical cooperation in areas like border security, counterterrorism, energy security, trusted technology, education, cultural exchange, and trade and investment. It operationalizes the strategic vision and priorities outlined in the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA), signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in September 2023. The Strategic Dialogue, which convened virtually and in person, included four working groups covering the depth and breadth of bilateral cooperation.
The United States commended the Kingdom of Bahrain's leadership as current Arab League president and as host of the 33rd Arab Summit. Both the United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain reaffirmed their commitment to a more peaceful and stable region, including permanently ending the war in Gaza, the release of hostages and detainees, rebuilding Gaza, and expanding the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to civilians. Moreover, they reiterated the call to establish a two-state solution that would allow Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side in security, sovereignty, and economic opportunity.
The United States praised Bahrain's role as an invaluable partner in maintaining regional security, highlighting their commitment to "Operation Prosperity Guardian." Bahrain underscored their shared responsibility to safeguard maritime security and ensure the free flow of trade. They condemned the ongoing Houthi attacks on commercial shipping and innocent mariners, which have detrimental effects on regional and global economies. Additionally, they reiterated calls for the Houthis to release UN, U.S. Embassy, and international organization personnel who are illegally detained in Yemen.
The open and comprehensive discussions within the Strategic Dialogue reflect the decades-long U.S.-Bahrain friendship and security alliance. The conversations underscored the importance of shared values, including respect for the principle of sovereignty and international law embedded in the UN Charter, and the obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the borders, territorial integrity, or political independence of any state. Discussions noted the importance of universal values, human rights, and fundamental freedoms. The two sides also continued conversations on countering trafficking in persons, praising Bahrain's regional leadership in maintaining Tier 1 status for the seventh straight year in the annual U.S. Department of State Trafficking-in-Persons report.
Economic cooperation will continue to grow in the context of the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, which was signed 20 years ago in September 2004. In June 2024, the two sides convened the Joint Committee under the FTA to discuss trade-related priorities and signed an agreement to establish a "Patent Prosecution Highway" pilot project to accelerate the treatment of patent claims in both jurisdictions. The two countries underlined their determination to maintain cooperation in developing the U.S. Trade Zone and the establishment of direct flights between Bahrain and the United States. Ongoing collaboration will also focus on telecommunications, such as expanding the use of Open RAN technology, as well as clean energy technology, tourism, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain reiterated goals to combat climate change through innovations like carbon capture technologies.
The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain benefit from extensive and expanding educational and cultural exchanges. U.S. universities remain a popular and important destination for Bahrainis, and both parties aim to enhance joint academic research and university exchanges to bolster curriculum development and skills needed in today's marketplace. The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain recognized increased cooperation on youth talent development throughout the year and signed an MOU in the field of youth affairs. The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and the Department of State are preparing to sign a Statement of Intent in the field of Cultural Heritage to combat criminal misuse of the art and antiquities market. Both countries expressed their intention to sign joint initiatives on higher, secondary, and primary education. The two sides discussed opportunities to enhance media cooperation and skills-development within the field of journalism.
The Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States plan to expand programs to enhance information sharing, mutual legal assistance, border security, and to counter transnational and emerging threats such as terrorism, narcotics smuggling, maritime piracy, and cyber threats. In that context, the two sides agreed to continue programmatic efforts that build capacity and interoperability for detecting and defending against threats at ports-of-entry, and in the maritime and cyber domains. The two governments plan to maintain their strong collaboration and joint actions to counter terrorism financing and money laundering.
The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain look forward to convening the Strategic Dialogue again in 2025 and will conduct follow up sessions to promote progress on specific initiatives. This bilateral mechanism reflects and reaffirms our nations' close partnership and the intention to advance shared priorities that build a secure, safe, peaceful, and more prosperous future.
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