US, Bahrain to sign strategic agreement
3 Min Read
According to two informed sources, the agreement includes a pledge to discuss and give help if Bahrain confronts an impending security danger, containing a security commitment as well as an economic partnership.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, at the State Department in Washington DC, on March 2, 2022. (AFP)
According to Axios, the United States and Bahrain are set to sign a strategic security and economic deal this week that would strengthen the United States' security commitment to Manama.
Bahrain is an important ally to the US, whose 5th Fleet is stationed in the region. "Israel" has also opened its embassy in Bahrain recently, three years after both sides normalized ties under the US-sponsored normalization deals known as the Abraham Accords.
According to the sources, Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa will sign the deal during a visit to Washington this week when he meets with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Biden's senior Middle East advisor, Brett McGurk, visited Bahrain this week and talked with the crown prince and other Bahraini authorities.
Read more: Bahraini takes risk going to Manama to save hunger-striking father
According to two individuals, the agreement includes a pledge to discuss and give help if Bahrain confronts an impending security danger, containing a security commitment as well as an economic partnership.
According to one source, McGurk reviewed the agreement's final elements on his trip to Manama last week.
Agreement part of US new plans to deepen ties with Gulf
The arrangement with Bahrain is part of the Biden administration's larger effort to deepen ties with Gulf countries, including a newly unveiled plan for an integrated network of railways, shipping routes, high-speed data cables, and energy pipelines.
In his statement at the project's introduction, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman stated that the kingdom will spend $20 billion on Biden's Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, which will also encompass the railway and maritime projects.
The Biden administration has also expanded its efforts to reach a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and "Israel."
Israeli media reported that, in an unprecedented step, an Israeli delegation was allowed to enter Saudi Arabia to attend the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting, Ynet reported.
The Israeli occupation ministers had previously withdrawn their request for participation in the meeting after the US State Department warned that such a step might pressure Saudi Arabia and negatively impact the Saudi-Israeli path toward normalization.
Israeli media indicated that, according to the US, the advancement in communication to reach a normalization agreement is more valuable than having Israeli ministers attend the UNESCO meeting in Riyadh.
