WE CAN DO BUSINESS

MANAMA: London’s Lord Mayor yesterday described Bahrain as a gateway for Britain to do business with the region – and also enter Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

She praised the success of Bahrain’s government, led by the Premier, in transforming the country into a world-class financial centre.

And His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa stressed Bahrain’s keenness to develop co-operation with London’s financial district.

This came as he received the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London Alderman Fiona Woolf, who arrived on a visit during which she will hold talks with senior officials on bilateral relations.

The Premier stressed the importance of exchanging expertise, saying that co-operation would bolster the regional and international standing of Bahrain and London’s financial district.

He underscored the importance of boosting financial co-operation and tapping into investment opportunities, describing Bahrain and London as world-class financial centres.

He emphasised the crucial role of security and stability in creating favourable conditions for financial and economic growth, looking forward to Britain playing a key role in this regard owing to its influential global standing.

“The financial district of London has benefited a lot from Bahrain’s know-how in developing Islamic banking and building a deregulated and open economy,” the Lord Mayor said, stressing the economic similarities between the two financial hubs.