Relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Kingdom date back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
In 1816, the two countries reached a preliminary agreement to strengthen their alliance and protect their joint interests. The agreement became official in 1820, when the two sides signed the “General Maritime Treaty”. Since then, bilateral relations had been strengthened, especially in 1861, 1880 and 1892.
The agreements not only recognised the legal status of Bahrain and its administrative institutions, but also ensured its protections, approved its independence and consolidated its status as a strategic centre for commercial activities. They also ensured stability and security across the Arabian Gulf region.
Over the past 206 years, the friendship relations between the two kingdoms and their ruling families have been strengthened, as reflected in the ongoing understanding and coordination between their leaderships, and keenness to achieve their joint interests at the regional and global levels.
The special status of the long-standing Bahraini-British ties is reflected in the depth of distinguished relations of cordiality, friendship and respect between His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and the UK Royal Family, represented by the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Majesty King Charles III. The late HM Queen Elizabeth II paid her first official visit to Bahrain in 1979 during the era of HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
In 1986, the then Prince of Wales, Prince Charles made his second visit to Bahrain, as part of a GCC tour.
On February 26, 2007, Prince Charles arrived in the kingdom, along with his consort, Princess Camilla, with a ten-day GCC visit. The visit to the kingdom was very successful, as he held meetings with HM King Hamad and HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. It proved the distinguished status enjoyed by Bahrain at the international level thanks to its balanced foreign policy that advocates peace and stability.
In 2016, Bahrain celebrated the 200th anniversary of its relations with the UK, which embodies the depth of those ties between the two friendly kingdoms and peoples and their continued desire to bolster their cooperation further, particularly following the visit of Prince Charles to Bahrain in the same year, and HM King Hamad’s visit to Britain, when he attended the international Royal Windsor Horse Show, and the launch of a book, entitled “Celebrating 200 Years Together: The Bicentenary of British-Bahraini Relations Paperback”.
In addition, the numerous exchanged visits between the members of the two royal families, and the sports interests of HM the King and the late HM Queen Elizabeth II have contributed to strengthening bilateral relations across various fields.
HM King Hamad paid many visits to the United Kingdom, the late of which was to attend the Royal Windsor Horse Show 2022, at the invitation of the late HM Queen Elizabeth II. HM the King also made numerous official visits to Britain, which reflects the depth and strength of bilateral relations.
Over the past decades, the two friendly countries have signed many agreements, protocols and memoranda of understanding to enhance the level of their partnership and coordination in the political, diplomatic, security, military, economic, cultural and educational fields, among others.
1935 was a turning point in the progress of relations between the two friendly countries, when Britain moved its main naval base in the Arabian Gulf to Bahrain, launching a new era of relations and partnership. However, bilateral relations were strengthened further with the signing of the “1971 Friendship Treaty”.
The Bahrain-UK relations enjoy a special status, especially in the economic, investment and banking sectors, as Bahrain has been the regional home for many British commercial companies, financial institutions and banks, thanks to the ideal economic policies and legislation provided by the Government of Bahrain for investors.
The 2006 Agreement on the Encouragement and Protection of Investments, the cooperation agreement between the Bahrain Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange in 207 and the MoUs signed between the two countries in the fields related to the customs sector in 2008 are among the agreements signed between the two kingdoms to deepen their long-standing relations across various fields, particularly investment, trade and conomy.
Source: Bahrain News Agency