His Excellency Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today hosted the inaugural meeting of the Bahrain-UK Joint Working Group, welcoming to Manama Mr Alistair Burt MP, British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East and North Africa. Shaikh Khalid and Mr. Burt underlining the close and open relationship between Bahrain and the UK,and discussed a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including cooperation on key trade and investment opportunities. Co-operation and assistance on security and counter-terrorism also featured, as did Bahrain’s reform programme, including UK support on the implementation of the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry Report and UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review. Officials from both governments will work together, monitoring and evaluating areas of co-operation and assistance, between now and the next meeting, expected within six months.