Minister of State for Defence Attends 10th Manama Dialogue in Bahrain

Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman is in Bahrain to attend the 10th Manama Dialogue from 5 to 7 December 2014. Organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the dialogue is a key security forum for the Gulf region. It serves as a platform for national security establishments of participating states from the region and beyond to discuss regional security challenges. At the dialogue, Dr Maliki spoke at one of the Simultaneous Special Sessions on "Regional Military Cooperation", where he highlighted the importance of strategic dialogue and practical cooperation amongst militaries to address the challenges posed by transnational security threats such as terrorism and maritime security threats.

While in Bahrain, Dr Maliki had a joint audience with the King of Bahrain His Majesty Shaikh Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, together with the other delegation leaders. He also called on the Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Bahrain Defence Force His Royal Highness Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and the Minister of State for Defence Affairs His Excellency Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammad Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa. During the meetings, both sides reaffirmed the strong bilateral ties between Singapore and Bahrain. Dr Maliki expressed Singapore's appreciation to Bahrain for its support for the Singapore Armed Forces' deployment to the Gulf of Aden. In addition, Dr Maliki had a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom The Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue.

Singapore has been attending the Manama Dialogue since its inception in 2004. This year, countries represented at the Manama Dialogue include Gulf Cooperation Council members (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Yemen, as well as extra-regional countries such as Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.