Minister of Industry and Commerce HE Zayed R. Alzayani held a telephone conversation with The Minister of Economy and Industry of Israel, HE Orna Barbivai, during which a number of topics related to the industrial and investment sector and ways to develop joint cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Israel were reviewed. ​
 

The two sides stressed the importance of such meetings and economic developments in relations between Bahrain and Israel, which enhance the opportunities for investment cooperation between them, in addition to discussing a number of topics of common concern and ways to develop and increase the volume of bilateral investments and the upcoming stage, HE the Minister also pointed to the role the private sector in both countries can play, which can contribute significantly to achieving common goals. 

Under the patronage of HE Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry and Commerce, The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, HE Ms. Eman Ahmed Al Doseri inaugurated the 10th Edition of the Annual UN MSMEs Day Summit, which was held under the theme "Innovation, Entrepreneurship and development of micro, small and medium enterprises towards a sustainable green economy - building resilience after the crisis" organized by the (BSMES) Bahrain Small and Medium Enterprises Society in conjunction with the international celebration of this occasion with the participation a number of ambassadors, senior officials in the Ministry and concerned authorities and entrepreneurs, and in the attendance of Dr. Abdulhasan H. Al-Dairi, chairman of Bahrain SMEs Society .

During the conference, Ms. Eman Al Doseri stressed that the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain gave the utmost attention to the SME sector, whereas Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 aspires to transition from an oil-based economy to a productive and sustainable globally competitive economy, to create a stimulating environment for entrepreneurship and innovation in order to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs. In an effort to develop start-ups and drive them towards further growth and progress to enhance productivity and sustainable development. The SME Development Council, which is now a successful model for uniting efforts and sharing resources to develop plans, initiatives and programs, was established and aimed at diversifying sources of income and supporting the national economy through five main axes: facilitating financing, facilitating market access, simplifying the business environment, developing skills and promoting innovation with the aim of creating a sustainable, competitive and dynamic local sector.

Since adopting the strategy in February 2018, the Board was able to implement 73% of all initiatives by the end of 2021, which is a catalyst for moving forward in pursuit of providing everything that serves the SME sector, so that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and its council partners ensure the development and sustainability as an important engine to the national economy.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce continues its efforts to promote innovation by establishing the Bahrain Centre for Technology and Innovation Transfer in collaboration with the University of Bahrain, to encourage research, development and effective enforcement of intellectual property rights to protect the rights of academics and researchers in order to ensure financial gain for inventors, and commercial employment of scientific research results, as well as licensing and transferring technology to markets, according to the best global practices. Through this cooperation, the Ministry aspires to link the academic sector with the industrial and service productive sectors in the Kingdom, and to build strong connections between higher education institutions on one hand, and emerging institutions and innovative entrepreneurs on the other.

HE. Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry and Commerce, received in his office this morning Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain Anwaer Habibullah.

During the meeting, bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of China were reviewed, along with ways to strengthen their cooperation mechanisms in all fields, particularly industry, commerce and investments, as well as discussing a number of issues of common concern.

In the same context, The Minister referred to the economic environment that attracts investments of all types and ranges, praising in this regard the great impact of the mutual visits between officials and businessmen from both countries, which achieves the required growth in these relations, and therefore reflects on the scale of commerce and economic cooperation between both sides. 

HE. Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry and Commerce, received in his office this morning a delegation of businesswomen from the Federal Republic of Russia in the presence of Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Ms. Eman Ahmed Al Doseri, and Assistant Undersecretary for Domestic and Foreign Trade Sh. Hamad bin Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and President of Bahrain Businesswomen's Society Ms. Ahlam Janahi and a number of members of the Society.

During the meeting, The Minister praised the influential role of women in the economic and developmental sector in general, HE also praised for the depth of Bahraini-Russian relations, noting the great efforts made by the governments of the two friendly countries to strengthen their common relations and raise the terms of Commerce and exchange of experiences between them, which achieves aspirations and objectives of both countries.​

In addition, the Minister noted the importance of the steps taken by the public and private sectors in both countries in order to strengthen and develop relations at all levels to serve and benefit the people both countries, stressing in this regard the importance of mutual visits and joint projects between private sector poles in both countries, which contribute significantly to deepening and developing economic relations.

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.