Foreign relations exist between Bahrain and Turkey. Turkey's historic relationship with Bahrain has wavered between indifference and courtship, but the constant has been a layer of mistrust emanating from both ends that appears to have been set aside in 2002Ehteshami, A., & Elik, S. (2011). Turkey's Growing Relations with Iran and the Arab Middle East. Turkish Studies, 12(4, Winter), 643–662. when the new Turkish government reversed the status quo and embraced a policy of engagement that has successfully catapulted the country to becoming a leading economic player in the Bahrain.
Turkey opened its embassy in Bahrain in 1990, while the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Ankara has been in operation since 2008.
Diplomatic visits Guest Host Place of visit Date of visit Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad bin Mohammad Al-Khalifa Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu Presidential Complex, Ankara August 25-28, 2016 King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Presidential Complex, Ankara March 25, 2016 President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Al-Sakhir Palace, Sakhir February 12-13, 2017 Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmad bin Mohammad Al-Khalifa Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu OIC Extraordinary Summit on Al-Quds, Istanbul May 18, 2018
Economic and trade relations +Bilateral trade and economic relations (in million USD)Sourced from TurkStat by Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs2015201620172018Export225193227299Import104128187187Volume329321414486Balance1216540112 Turkey mainly exports tobacco and its products, iron and steel, motor vehicles and their parts to Bahrain. On the other hand, Bahrain mainly exports aluminium, iron, petroleum products (except for petroleum and its derivatives) chemical fertilizers, cotton products to Turkey. Trade volume between the two countries was US$486 million in 2018 (Turkish exports/imports: US$299/187 million).
Cultural relations
Turkish television drama have become massively popular across in Bahrain, as millions of Arabs stop everything daily to view the latest episode of shows such as Hareem Al Sultan and Fatima, going a long way to promote a positive image of Turkey in Bahrain.
Turkish-Bahraini Business Council The Turkish-Bahraini Business Council was established based on the agreement signed by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) on 16 February 2006 in Istanbul. The first joint meeting of the board of directors of the council was convened on the same day, whereas the last meeting of the council was held on 1 March 2017 in Ankara, just before the JEC meeting (held on 2-3 March 2017).
See also
List of ambassadors of Turkey to Bahrain Foreign relations of Bahrain Foreign relations of Turkey
References