Bahrain: King Hamad visits Russia

King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa made an 11-13 October visit to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin and attended the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Sochi. The Kremlin said talks would focus on developing co-operation in trade and investment, energy, finance and humanitarian ties, and that the leaders would also be discussing the situation in the Middle East and North Africa. After the meeting on 12 October in the presidential palace in Sochi, Putin said the two countries would mark 25 years of diplomatic relations in 2015, and that he welcomed “regular and ongoing contacts”.