Members of the parliamentary friendship group held several bilateral meetings.
During the official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, the delegation of the Federation Council Cooperation Group with the Consultative Council of the National Assembly of Bahrain met with Minister of Tourism of Bahrain Fatima bint Jaafar Al Sairafi.
The delegation, led by Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy Mohmad Akhmadov, included senators Sergei Gornyakov and Andrey Chernyshev.
The meeting participants discussed the prospects for increasing mutual tourist flows.
“In 2024, 8,900 tourist trips were made from Bahrain to Russia, which is five times more than in 2023, while Russian tourists visited the Kingdom 23,400 times,” Mohmad Akhmadov said.
He informed his Bahraini counterparts that, in recent years, tourism in Russia had been actively developing.
“Our country offers a rich and diverse range of high-quality recreation opportunities, from seaside and ski resorts to thermal springs, spa and wellness retreats, as well as cultural, historical, industrial, and ecological tourism.”
The senator highlighted that the Russian Federation was prioritising the development of its tourism sector at the highest level. Under a presidential decision, the Tourism and Hospitality Industry national project has been extended through to 2030. Tourism is also expected to be prominently represented at the upcoming St Petersburg International Economic Forum this June, where the Kingdom of Bahrain will participate as a guest country.
The senators met with Chief Executive Officer of the General Sports Authority of the Kingdom of Bahrain Abdulrahman Sadiq Askar.
It was stressed that cooperation in fitness and sports is one of the areas for strengthening Russian-Bahraini ties. Bahraini athletes traditionally take an active part in sports competitions held in Russia, such as the Games of the Future, the world’s first International Multisport Tournament (21 February – 3 March 2024, Kazan), and the BRICS Sports Games (11–26 June 2024, Kazan), which for the first time took place in an open format.
The senators thanked Abdulrahman Sadiq Askar for taking part in the Russia, — Country of Sports International Sports Forum, addressing the panel session Sports Integration in the CIS, BRICS, SCO, and EAEU Space: New Opportunities, and for his unwavering support of Russian sports.
The delegation met with Undersecretary for Youth Affairs of Bahrain Marwan Fuad Kamal, who talked about the state policy to support Bahraini youth and the work of 62 youth centres. Marwan Fuad Kamal invited the Russian side to implement joint youth projects and to take part in the Youth City educational summer project.
The senators thanked the Bahraini side for hosting the visit of the delegation from the Chamber of Young Legislators under the Federation Council, which took place on 8–10 April. Both sides reaffirmed their intention to continue fostering youth exchanges.
Summing up the outcomes of the visit to Manama by the Federation Council’s Cooperation Group with the Consultative Council of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Senator Mohmad Akhmadov noted that the meetings with Bahraini lawmakers and officials from relevant ministries provided a valuable opportunity to outline concrete steps for enhancing bilateral collaboration and strengthening inter-parliamentary relations.