Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad Attends the 22nd Manama Dialogue

Senior Minister of State for Defence (SMS) Zaqy Mohamad delivering a speech at the 5th Plenary Session on “Maritime Security at an Inflection Point” at the 22nd Manama Dialogue.

SMS Zaqy (first from left) at the Opening Dinner, seated beside Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa (second from left). (Photo Credit: Office of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Kingdom of Bahrain)

SMS Zaqy (left) meeting with Bahrain’s Minister of Defence Affairs Lieutenant General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Nuaimi (right).

SMS Zaqy (left) meeting with Bahrain’s National Security Advisor and Commander of the Royal Guard, Bahrain Defence Force His Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa (right).

Senior Minister of State for Defence (SMS) Zaqy Mohamad attended the 22nd Manama Dialogue in Bahrain from 30 October to 1 November 2026. Organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the annual dialogue is a key security forum for senior defence, security and foreign affairs officials from around the world to discuss security challenges in the Middle East and beyond. Singapore has been attending the Manama Dialogue since its inception in 2004.

While in Bahrain, SMS Zaqy met with Bahrain’s Minister of Defence Affairs Lieutenant General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Nuaimi and National Security Advisor and Commander of the Royal Guard, Bahrain Defence Force His Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa. They reaffirmed the warm defence relations between Singapore and Bahrain.

Speaking at the fifth plenary session on the topic of "Maritime Security at an Inflection Point", SMS Zaqy cautioned against normalising maritime insecurity and highlighted the importance of upholding international law to safeguard strategic waterways. He emphasised that mutual dependence alone does not guarantee maritime security and called for countries to build mutual trust and translate it into collective capabilities through practical cooperation. He said, “Cooperation cannot begin only when a crisis breaks out. The trust and habits of working together must be built long before they are tested.” 

On the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue, SMS Zaqy also separately met with Greece’s National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Secretary General for National Security, Dr Thanos Dokos and Saudi Arabia’s Chairman of the Board, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud. During their meetings, they exchanged views on regional and global security developments and reaffirmed bilateral defence relations.

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Speech by Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Zaqy Mohamad Manama Dialogue 2026 1 Nov 2026 in Bahrain