Bahrain13 November 20153 min read

UK committed to Bahrain security:Ambassador

By Muhammad Azam/DTNN. The United Kingdom is fully committed to safeguarding the security of Bahrain, said British Ambassador to Bahrain Simon Martin. He was speaking to the media on the British Embassy premises yesterday during his first direct interaction with Bahraini journalists after his posting i

Editorial Team Legacy

Published 13 November 2015, 8:00 · Updated 21:38

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UK committed to Bahrain security:Ambassador

The United Kingdom is fully committed to safeguarding the security of Bahrain, said British Ambassador to Bahrain Simon Martin. He was speaking to the media on the British Embassy premises yesterday during his first direct interaction with Bahraini journalists after his posting in Bahrain two months ago, his first assignment in the Gulf.

Martin is an intellectual, seasoned diplomat and industrialist economist. Prior to Bahrain, he had been serving in Myanmar, Hungary and Czech Republic.

The construction of a naval base here clearly showed the British commitment to the security and defence of its friends in the Gulf region. There was already a substantial British presence here in Bahrain, but the establishment of a naval base would make this presence permanent, he noted.

“It will help us operate here as part of the international force, ensuring the security of the countries of the region, in a more efficient and effective way,” he hoped.

Responding to a question, he said that it was not Iran- focused, but generally a part of the international operations together with the US 5th fleet for the security of the countries in the Gulf.

Martin said that after the nuclear deal with Iran, they were expecting the nation to develop its relations with Bahrain and other countries in a positive way.

“We are looking forward to Iran that it should act in a good neighbourly way,” he said.

On the human rights situation in Bahrain, the ambassador said that certain organisations were sceptical about the reform programme, but he would say to those organisations that they should consult valid sources before passing any judgements on the subject.

About the current economic condition of Bahrain after the lifting of meat subsidy, he said he did not have any magical suggestions for the improvement of the economy but as an economist he was glad to say that the Bahrain government had taken the right decision at the right time instead of waiting.

The encouraging factor here is that they have established good response to the external economic threats and challenges, which the low prices presented.

He said that Bahraini economy was less dependent on oil like other regional countries and it was absolutely logical to try to diversify the government revenues as well.

Commenting on the issue of Bahraini asylum-seekers in the UK, he said that they had a very well established and independent system dealing with the asylum-seekers.

UK committed to Bahrain security:Ambassador

Editorial Team Legacy

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