His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander of the Bahrain Armed Forces, received the newly appointed Commander of the United States Naval Forces Central Command, Commander of the US Fifth Fleet, and Commander of Combined Maritime Forces, Vice Admiral George M. Wikoff, at the Al Safriya Palace.

His Majesty welcomed Vice Admiral Wikoff, and wished him success in carrying out his duties. He commended the historical strategic partnership between Bahrain and the United States, citing their continued joint coordination, especially in the military and defence fields.

His Majesty affirmed that the Bahraini-American ties are built on decades of mutual respect and keenness to achieve common goals, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.

HM King emphasised the pivotal role played by the United States, alongside brotherly and allied countries, in consolidating international peace and security, as well as protecting global trade routes.

Vice Admiral Wikoff expressed pride in the role played by HM King in strengthening the Bahrain-US partnership relations and enhancing their defence cooperation.

He commended the role of the kingdom and its keenness to cooperate with the international community to promote efforts to consolidate regional stability and peace.

For his part, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior, also received, the newly appointed Commander of the United States Naval Forces Central Command, Commander of the US Fifth Fleet, and Commander of Combined Maritime Forces.

Lieutenant General Tariq Al Hassan, Chief of Public Security, and Steven C. Bondy, Ambassador of the US to Bahrain, were present.

The meeting discussed ways to enhance further cooperation. The Minister praised the strategic Bahrain-US relations and affirmed the importance of reinforcing security cooperation and exchanging expertise.

Lastly, Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF), also received Wednesday the newly appointed Commander of the United States Naval Forces Central Command, Commander of the US Fifth Fleet, and Commander of Combined Maritime Forces.

Lieutenant-General Theyab bin Saqr Al Noaimi, the BDF Chief of Staff was present.

The BDF Chief welcomed Admiral George M. Wikoff and his accompanying delegation, wishing him every success in carrying out the duties assigned to him.

Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed lauded the steady growth of the Bahrain-US relations at all levels and in all fields, especially the military one.