President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has accepted credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Bahrain Ebrahim Yusuf Al-Abdullah.

Ambassador Ebrahim Yusuf Al-Abdullah reviewed a guard of honor.

Ebrahim Yusuf Al-Abdullah presented his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev.

President Ilham Aliyev then spoke with the ambassador.

The head of state said that bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Bahrain are developing successfully. President Ilham Aliyev expressed his confidence that Ebrahim Yusuf Al-Abdullah will meet with heads of various bodies of Azerbaijan during his tenure and that these meetings will yield good results.

Ebrahim Yusuf Al-Abdullah extended King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa`s greetings and best regards to the head of state and noted that recent achievements of the people of Azerbaijan under the wise leadership of President Ilham Aliyev are being followed with great interest in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Ambassador Ebrahim Yusuf Al-Abdullah underlined the necessity of expanding economic and trade relations between the two countries, adding that the development of cultural ties is also important.

Noting that there are many similarities between Azerbaijan and Bahrain, the ambassador pointed out that the two countries are making efforts to strengthen their independence, territorial integrity, and to encourage inter-civilizational dialogue and peaceful coexistence all over the world.

Ebrahim Yusuf Al-Abdullah said that the political will of the President of Azerbaijan and the King of Bahrain to develop the bilateral relations paves the way for the development of the bilateral ties. He underlined that the international community has great confidence in the two countries.

The ambassador also noted that Azerbaijan is one of the leading financial centers in the post-Soviet area and Bahrain in the Middle East, adding that this creates a good basis for expanding economic cooperation.

Saying that there are wide opportunities for developing political ties, the head of state noted that Azerbaijan and Bahrain support each other on various issues in international organizations, including sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the two countries and show solidarity in the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other organizations. President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan makes great contribution to the Islamic solidarity, adding that this is highly praised by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The head of state noted that 2017 was declared “a Year of the Islamic Solidarity” in Azerbaijan and the country successfully hosted the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games. The President stressed that Azerbaijan will spare no efforts to strengthen unity and mutual support among Muslim countries. Touching upon the importance of expanding trade and economic relations and mutual export, President Ilham Aliyev said that there is great potential in the field of tourism and that the number of Bahraini tourists coming to Azerbaijan is increasingly growing.

The head of state thanked for Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa`s greetings and best regards and asked the ambassador to extend his greetings and best regards to the King of Bahrain.