RIYADH — Relations between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are “deep and strong” and have spanned over many years, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman has said.

He made the remarks during the first meeting of the Saudi-Bahraini Coordinating Council on Thursday.

At the outset of the virtual meeting, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman congratulated his Bahraini counterpart Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa on becoming the country’s prime minister and wished him success in achieving Bahrain's 2030 Economic Vision to make life better for the Bahraini people.

Presiding over the Saudi side at the meeting, the Crown Prince expressed his happiness at the establishment of the council and its effective and fruitful contribution to strengthening the bonds of relationship and brotherhood between the two countries.

He referred to the great interest of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to push bilateral relations to broader horizons and to view this council as an umbrella through which the relationship will develop in all fields including politics, economics, security, military, investment, development, and culture.

He stressed that the sound directives, praise be to God, have resulted in fruitful results at all levels, expressing satisfaction for the close coordination between the two countries on regional and international issues in dealing with challenges facing the region and preserving the interests, security, and stability of the two countries.

The Crown Prince expressed confidence that this meeting, in which the organizational procedures for the council's work will be approved, will pave the way for the launch of the work of its committees and present their results in the upcoming meetings, thanking his Bahraini counterpart and members of the council for the efforts made in the preparation of the meeting. — SG