Crown Prince of Bahrain to visit India

NEW DELHI: Aiming to strengthen bilateral ties in the fields of trade and economy, Crown Prince of Bahrain Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa will pay a two-day visit to India beginning March 17.
"His Royal Highness will be accompanied by a high-level official delegation including a number of leading businessmen. India is one of the significant Asian economies that have achieved major strides commercially, industrially and in the field of economic development, marking the importance of this visit," a release from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain said today.
The visit will provide an opportunity to boost links between Bahrain and India, who have always maintained a friendly and stable relationship, it said.
During his stay, Prince Khalifa, who is Bahrain's deputy supreme commander and first deputy prime minister, is expected to visit Kerala to hold interactions with Kerala chief minister Oomen Chandy and other senior ministers to discuss cooperation in political, economic and cultural issues.
The Prince's "visit to the Indian state of Kerala emphasises the ongoing economic and trade cooperation building on existing agreements and understandings between India and the Kingdom of Bahrain," the release said.
The visit will also pay tribute to the invaluable contribution of the Indian community throughout Bahrain society, it added.
According to the International Monetary Fund, the total trade between India and Bahrain in 2011 was $1.7 billion.