Trade relations between Türkiye and Bahrain have "great potential," the Turkish Parliament speaker said on Monday during a visit to the kingdom, highlighting the need on improving relations between the two nation's parliaments.
As part of his visit to Bahrain, Numan Kurtulmuş met with Ahmed bin Salman Al Musallam, the speaker of Bahrain’s Council of Representatives, according to a statement from the Turkish Parliament.
"The 50th year of Türkiye-Bahrain relations is behind us. Now we want to talk about further goals in the second 50 years. In addition to President Erdogan's efforts in the relations between the two countries, we, as parliaments, should endeavor to improve these relations. It is important to strengthen the relations between parliaments," Kurtulmuş said.
Recalling that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has applied for membership in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Kurtulmuş said that the confederation's administrator is an official from Bahrain and stressed that they are looking for support on this issue.
"Unfortunately, despite all the positive efforts, the TRNC has been subjected to the punishments of the West," he said, adding, "We need to support the recognition of the TRNC by providing support on international platforms."
Kurtulmuş also conveyed Ankara’s gratitude for Bahrain’s stance against Israel's "inhumane massacres against Palestine."
He hoped that "an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital will be established."
For his part, Al Musallam also stressed that they aimed to take the political, diplomatic and economic relations between Bahrain and Türkiye to higher levels.
He expressed support for Ankara's efforts for Palestine on international platforms, and said that Manama also acted in the same manner.
He said that the solution for the Palestinian issues lies in the establishment of a fully independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, adding that Bahrain opposes the displacement of Palestinians from their lands.
Israel has launched relentless indiscriminate air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas last October.
The onslaught has since killed more than 26,000 people, mostly women and children, displaced 85% of the blockaded enclave's population, and created conditions for famine. Israel says 1,200 people were killed in the initial Hamas attack.
Kurtulmuş opens Aselsan office in UAE
Following the visit to Bahrain, Kurtulmuş was on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where on Tuesday he inaugurated the UAE office of the Turkish defense giant Aselsan in the capital Abu Dhabi.
"I believe that the Aselsan UAE Office, which we opened in the United Arab Emirates, will both strengthen the friendship between the two countries and open new doors in our defense industry's journey of growth and success through technology transfer," Kurtulmuş said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
"We are proud that our national defense industry continues its path with firm steps with the 'Century of Türkiye' vision by combining technological innovations and superior quality," he added.
Türkiye and the UAE signed last year 13 agreements worth $50.7 billion during President Erdoğan's visit to the Gulf country, with the countries extending cooperation in a number of sectors including infrastructure, defense and energy.