Economy Minister Orna Barbivai met her Bahraini counterpart in Manama on Monday to begin negotiations.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Bahrain have begun negotiating a flexible industrial deal, Israel’s Economy Ministry said Tuesday.
Israel normalized diplomacy with Bahrain and its Gulf neighbor, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), two years ago under U. S. sponsorship.
In May, Israel concluded a flexible industrial agreement with the United Arab Emirates, the first with an Arab country, whose government says it will increase the industry from $1. 2 billion to $10 billion over a 5-year period.
Trade between Israel and Bahrain in 2021 amounted to $7. 5 million.
Economy Minister Orna Barbivai met her Bahraini counterpart in Manama on Monday to start negotiations, she said.
“A flexible industrial agreement with Bahrain as a component of broader regional cooperation will strengthen economic relations between the countries, increase the scope of investment, remove industrial barriers and create opportunities for traders and businesses in Israel and Barbivai,” Barbivai said.
(Reporting via Steven Scheer and Ari Rabinovitch; editing via Jason Neely)