Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday met Crown Prince of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in Manama at the Al Qudaibiya Palace and emphasised the need for enhanced bilateral economic cooperation between the two friendly nations.

The prime minister was presented with a guard of honour upon his arrival at the Al Qudaibiya Palace.

Prime Minister Sharif, during the call on with the Crown Prince, thanked him for the warm hospitality and commended Bahrain’s leadership in strengthening bilateral ties.

Shehbaz congratulated Bahrain on its success in securing non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for a 2-year term, 2026-2027, and expressed Pakistan’s readiness for close coordination during its tenure.

The meeting focused on economic cooperation, where the prime minister highlighted the potential to increase bilateral trade, currently over $550 million, to $1 billion within three years, supported by the Pakistan-GCC Free Trade Agreement, which is at an advanced stage of finalisation and recently eased visa requirements.

He invited Bahraini investors to explore opportunities in food security, IT, construction, mines and minerals, healthcare, renewable energy, and tourism.

He also proposed enhanced port-to-port connectivity between Karachi/Gwadar and Khalifa Bin Salman Port.

The prime minister acknowledged Bahrain’s support for the over 150,000-strong Pakistani community and reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to provide more skilled manpower.

He welcomed further collaboration in higher education, technical training, and digital governance, building on the King Hamad University initiative, and thanked Bahrain for facilitating the release and repatriation of Pakistani nationals.

Defence and security cooperation were also discussed, with both sides agreeing to further expand collaboration in training, cybersecurity, defence production, and information sharing.

Both leaders discussed the recent developments in Gaza and agreed that the establishment of peace and stability was long overdue for the people of Gaza, who have suffered for decades.

The meeting concluded with confidence that the discussions will translate into tangible outcomes and further elevate Pakistan–Bahrain relations across strategic, economic, security and people-to-people domains.