MOSCOW, November 11 (RIA Novosti) — Bahrain is looking to strengthen its ties with Russia in a bid to multiply and diversify its international alliances beyond the United States, Bahraini Information Minister Samira Ibrahim bin Rajab told Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency Tuesday.
"Bahrain and other Gulf Arab states are looking to strengthen their relations with Russia," Samira Rajab said.
The minister confessed that Persian Gulf countries realized just one alliance – with the US-led group of Western countries – was not enough to "guarantee stability in the region" and were now forming new international alliances.
She stressed Manama did not plan to break up with its old-time allies. "It is important to create various unions and reform the system of international relations so that it would help to maintain stability," Rajab said, adding that only "a truly multipolar" world could guarantee the balance of power and global stability.
"In this sense, Russia has demonstrated a very deep understanding of problems in the Middle East," she noted.
In October, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa came to Sochi to attend Russia's inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix. This was the second trip of a Bahraini monarch to Russia since the start of 2014. In April, Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa visited Moscow to agree Russian arms deliveries.
