Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and King Hamad during the joint military exercise in Manama on Thursday. WAM

The three-day exercise involved the participation of the UAE Armed Forces and the Royal Guard, a unit of the Bahrain Defence Force, as well as several other units from the defence force and Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior and National Security Agency, as part of the close cooperation between the two countries.

The exercise was attended by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Ministry of Presidential Court; Mohammed Bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs; Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State; Ali Bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council; Sheikh Sultan Bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to Bahrain; and several senior military officials.

The exercise was also attended by Field Marshal Sheikh Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force, Major General Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, National Security Adviser, Commander of the Royal Guard and Director of the Exercise, and Colonel Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Commander of the Royal Guard Special Forces, and a number of senior figures.

Before the exercise, the two countries agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed by Lt. General Eng. Issa Saif Bin Ablan Al Mazrouei, Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, and Major General Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad, who presented the exercise, its phases and its objectives.

Sheikh Mohamed expressed his happiness at attending the exercise, which highlighted the skills and abilities of its participants.

King Hamad welcomed the attendance of Sheikh Mohamed at the exercise, praising the efforts of everyone involved to ensure its success.

“We are delighted to welcome the valiant UAE Armed Forces in their second home, Bahrain, and among their brothers during the exercise, which confirms the close historical ties between the two friendly countries,” he said.

Following the event, an official photo of the participants with Sheikh Mohamed and King Hamad was taken.

WAM