Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning warmly greeted Bahraini Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, who is on a three-day visit to Israel. Speaking at a joint press conference, Netanyahu said, "These are wondrous days. This is the day when we realize peace, because of the courageous decision made by King Hamad." Netanyahu added that peace between the two countries is "flourishing in many ways, including on COVID-19. We'll discuss cooperation on this because things here are also moving at a very rapid pace."

A few hours before the meeting, Netanyahu posted on Twitter a video recorded in his office, greeting the Bahraini people on their National Day. "I want to wish His Highness, Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, and all the citizens of the United Arab Emirates, our new friends, a very joyous National Day. Since the signing of the historic peace treaty between us, Israel-UAE relations have been moving ahead rapidly, quicker than we anticipated—in fact, at breakneck speed. We are cooperating in so many fields: in science and technology, in commerce and investments, in healthcare and education, in transportation and tourism. In these and so many other areas, our partnership is bringing tangible benefits to both our peoples,’’ stated Netanyahu.

Before meeting with Netanyahu, Zayani met with Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. The Bahraini minister said after the meeting with Ashkenazi that his country would like to launch a direct air link to Israel soon. “With us today in the delegation is a significant team presence from Gulf Air, our national carrier, to make sure that that gets established and up and running as soon as possible,” he noted, adding, “We believe firmly that the continuity of this peace and the prosperity of this peace should be filtering down to the common citizen, in Bahrain and in Israel. The whole world is watching. We are determined and committed to make this a success story and to make it a case study for others to follow.”

Ashkenazi noted after the meeting that together with Zayani they "discussed our commitment to implement as quickly as possible the agreements between us." He also announced the establishment of a special economic team that will seek to maximize the business potential of the normalization agreement between the two countries.