Bahrain

Visits

President Sarkozy made an official visit to Manama on 11 February 2009. This was the first visit by a French President to Bahrain since 1990. The French Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Mr Mathias Fekl, visited Bahrain on 21 January 2016.

The King of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, was received several times by President Hollande at the Élysée Palace, on 23 July 2012, 28 August 2014 and 8 September 2015.

The King of Bahrain’s last visit to Paris, on 30 and 31 April 2019, gave new impetus to the bilateral relationship. The King met with the French President, while the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, met with his counterpart, Mr Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. Three cooperation agreements were signed during the visit, including one on the training of Bahraini doctors in France and two cooperation protocols, on basic and higher education.

Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation

Our cultural cooperation with Bahrain offers opportunities for France to forge partnerships, especially in the fields of science and technology, management, the French language, and medicine. An agreement between the Arabian Gulf University and ESSEC Business School enabled the creation in December 2011 of the French-Arabian Business School (FABS), which opened an MBA programme in October 2012.

Moreover, French teaching is being introduced to Bahraini state education. While it has hitherto been restricted to the last two years of secondary education in some public and private establishments, it will now be taught every year from the first year of secondary school to the end of high school as a compulsory second foreign language, in accordance with a 2010 royal decree.

In terms of culture, France has a good image in Bahrain. Our embassy in Manama is involved with the main actors in the local cultural scene and the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities is developing ambitious collaboration with renowned French partners. Our cooperation is also active in the fields of archaeology and heritage, as well as, more recently, fashion.