As part of the 62nd  GCC Ministerial Committee Meeting held in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, The Minister of Industry and Commerce, HE Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Head of the Delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain, participated in the meeting that gathered  Their Excellencies Ministers of Commerce of GCC countries members of the GCC Commerce Ministerial Committee with participation of HE the Secretary of State for International Trade in the UK, HE Anne-Marie Trevelyan in the presence of Secretary General of the GCC H.E. Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Council in Riyadh.

The meeting included signing the joint statement by HE Secretary General of the GCC H.E. Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf to launch free trade negotiations between the GCC countries and the UK.

During the meeting, a number of topics of common concern and ways to develop and increase the volume of investments between the GCC and the UK were discussed in order to achieve mutual goals and visions.

The Minister of Industry and Commerce, HE Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, headed the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the 62^nd GCC Commerce Ministerial Committee Meeting with the participation of Their Excellencies Ministers of Commerce of GCC countries and HE Secretary General of the GCC HE. Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf. Hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the presence of Assistant Undersecretary for Domestic & Foreign Trade, Sh. Hamad Bin Salman Al-Khalifa, and Assistant Undersecretary of Industrial Development, Dr. Khaled Fahad Alalawi. At the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Council in Riyadh.

The meeting addressed a number of topics on the agenda, including promoting joint Gulf business in an effort to integrate commerce between Member countries, and reviewed the work of the committees of the GCC Commerce Ministerial Committee in the areas of SME development and entrepreneurship, domestic and foreign trade, e-commerce as well as consumer protection, In addition to other topics of common interest. 

HE Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry and Commerce, expressed his pride in the spectrum of historical relations between Bahrain and India, which date for over 5,000 years as they linked the civilizations of Dilmun and Sindh, and remained until present day distinctly prestigious on many levels and sectors. Noting both governments' keenness on maintaining these relations. ​
 

This came during the participation of The Minister of Industry and Commerce, HE Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani as keynote speaker at the Luncheon organized by the Bahrain India Society in the presence of HE Mr. Piyush Srivastava, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bahrain India Society Mr. Abdulrahman Juma and a number of members of the association and concerned parties. During which a number of topics were reviewed along with the historical bilateral relations between the two friendly countries at the Gulf Hotel.
 

At the beginning of the event, HE the Minister reviewed a number of topics and issues of common concern, including the increase in the value of exports and imports between the two parties during the first quarter of 2022, the number of companies and investors working in the Kingdom of Bahrain, where the total current Indian investment in Bahrain amounted to $514 million. HE added that Bahrain is the ideal destination for Indian companies to benefit from the excellent links in transport and communications and its position among the GCC countries, and the easy access it has to regional markets and Middle East and North Africa.

HE also noted that preparations are under way to start the negotiations of the FTA between the (GCC) and the Republic of India, where the (GCC) has prepared a unified position on the proposed terms of reference (TOR) for the FTA, and negotiations will resume once the two sides have finalized and signed the (TOR).
 

Moreover, HE noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain is recently witnessing a remarkable historical economic development, especially with the launch of its national strategy for post-pandemic economic recovery, which is based on the five main foundations of Bahrain's economic vision 2030. He added that there are many improvements at the commercial level, such as the launch of the upgraded version of SIJILAT 3.0, as well as new business laws being reformed with upcoming changes of trade laws and auditors and a new law being implemented to regulate e-commerce, as well as focusing on innovation and intellectual property where work is undergoing to make Bahrain a global hub for such sectors.
 

In addition to reviewing a number of topics of common interest between the two sides.

On behalf of HE Ms. Eman Al-Doseri, Undersecretary of Ministry of Industry and Commerce, HE Shaikh Hamad bin Salman Al-Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary of Domestic and Foreign Trade, headed the Kingdom of Bahrain's delegation in the 45th Commerce Undersecretary preparatory meeting for the 62nd Commercial Cooperation Committee of the GCC, along with Assistant Undersecretary for Industry Development, Dr. Khaled Fahad Al-Alawi. Which was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the GCC in Riyadh this morning.
 

The meeting included a number of topics that would enhance joint Gulf trade ventures of member countries, and reviewed the work of the committees following the Commerce Cooperation Committee in developing small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurships, internal and external trade, e-commerce, as well as consumer protection.

HE Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry and Commerce, confirmed that the UK has been a major investment partner on a global scale for more than 200 years, and that the growth in trade volume between both countries is witnessing remarkable development in various sectors, reflecting the significance of the distinguished historical relations between both countries.
 

This came during the participation of The Minister of Industry and Commerce HE Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani as keynote speaker at a luncheon organized by the Bahrain British Business Forum (BBBF) in the presence of the British Ambassador to Bahrain, HE Mr. Roderick Drummond, and Mr. Khalid bin Rashid Alzayani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Forum and a number of officials and stakeholders. During which several topics and upcoming projects were reviewed by both countries at the Diplomat Hotel - Bahrain.

HE the Minister presented a number of important and vital topics, including the results of the meetings between the UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group, most importantly the FTA between the GCC and the UK, which is one of the most ambitious and comprehensive agreements, which will contribute to strengthening relations and economic growth by promoting trade in goods, services and other areas that benefit the public and private sectors of both parties.

The Minister then discussed Bahrain's strategic and ambitious plan (economic recovery plan - economy post pandemic) launched by the esteemed Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain in 2021, which considered one of the major plans for economic growth. The new plan aims to enhance Bahrain's long-term economic competitiveness, while achieving sustainability goals, which are based on several axes that include: labor market reform plan, regulatory reform package, strategic project plan, financial balance program, priority sector development plan.

HE also pointed out the Kingdom of Bahrain's launch for a new 10-year golden residence visa (golden visa) which provides expatriates and foreign investors with the opportunity to stay in the country permanently, elaborating on the positive impact this step has on attracting more investments and other positive outcomes on the economic sector. HE also presented the new SIJILAT 3.0 update, an advanced electronic system highly qualified in the registration and licensing of businesses in the Kingdom of Bahrain and fully connected to all electronic systems of the relevant government entities.

Hoping that this forum achieves its ambitious goals in developing the highly esteemed relations between Bahrain and the UK.

Under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry and Commerce, the opening ceremony of the new Kia showroom of Bin Hindi Motors Company was held this morning in Al Eker. In presence of His Excellency Ambassador Chung, Hae Kwan from the embassy of the Republic of Korea to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Mr. Abdulla Ahmed Bin Hindi, Vice chairman and CEO in Bin Hindi Group, ​
 

On this occasion, The Minister expressed the Government of Bahrain's appreciation to the Bahraini private sector and its initiatives and role in promoting economic growth, as well as considering it a key partner in the development and progress of the national economy and clarified that it is working in all ways to provide facilitations to ensure the best services for citizens and residents of the kingdom of Bahrain.​
 

On the sidelines of the opening ceremony, the all-new “Sportage 2023" was launched in the Kingdom of Bahrain, an SUV, as well as the launch of the family-car Kia “Carens", an addition to Kia's car series.
 

Bin Hindi is considered one of Bahrain's leading automotive companies that has come a long way since partnering with Kia cars in 1989, becoming Kia's first dealer in the Middle East and Africa to adopt the new Kia identity, with the new 18,000-square-foot Kia Global Identity showroom.

HE Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry and Commerce visited members of the Ministry of Tourism and congratulated them on the appointment of HE Mrs. Fatima Jaafar Al Serafi as Minister of Tourism, wishing them continued success and goal achievements to match the aspirations and reach goals of the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

HE expressed his thanks and appreciation to all members of the Tourism sector, for all their efforts in developing this vital and important sector in supporting the great strategies of the Kingdom of Bahrain, expressing his pride in the competencies of the members of Tourism, wishing them success and continued hard work for the benefit of the nation.​​

As part of the eCommerce Champions Overseas Program, launched by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (MOICT) under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, and the program has commenced  as the first mentoring session was held yesterday  by one of the Mentors and the session was held at the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF). The Ministry launched this program in liaison with Export Bahrain, Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) and Tamkeen, with the participation of a number of leading companies, including Annada Brand, Traditional Trends, Tru Active, Arihant Jewellers and Eatco.

The program includes specialized mentoring sessions to share companies' expertise in eCommerce and export, where the company shares its experience in the field of exports through eCommerce, solutions applied to raise the standards of the products and services, as well as challenges and how to overcome them.
 

On this note, about 70 licensed companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain have joined the program as beneficiary companies to attend the mentoring sessions, where the first mentoring session has been attended by companies representatives of different nationalities to benefit from the mentors' expertise, in order to gain insights on their pioneering experiences in the field of exports through eCommerce and to get the necessary expertise to facilitate their entry to this field.
 

Companies and establishments that qualify from this program will be selected and awarded the title of eCommerce Champions Overseas, based on the work program that will be provided at the end of the program to transform to eCommerce and then export overseas.​