Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance by Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa in recognition of New Delhi’s strong friendship with the Gulf nation and his efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.
Tweeting about the honour conferred upon him on Saturday night, Modi said: “I humbly accept The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance. This is a recognition of India’s strong friendship with Bahrain, which goes back hundreds of years and is expanding rapidly in the 21st century.”
Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Bahrain.
“Thank you Bahrain… This visit sets the ground for even stronger bilateral cooperation between India and Bahrain. The discussions with top leaders, agreements inked and community interactions were truly memorable.
“Hospitality of the people and government was outstanding,” he added in another tweet.
Modi and the Bahraini King reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations.
“Wonderful meeting with HM Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain. His Majesty and I reviewed the complete range of India-Bahrain relations and we look forward to increased cooperation for the mutual benefit of our citizens,” he further tweeted.
The Prime Minister also spent time at the Shreenathji Krishna temple in Manama, which is being renovated.
“Spent time at Bahrain’s Shreenathji Temple. This is among the oldest temples in the region and manifests the strong ties between India and Bahrain.
“Here are some blessed moments from the temple,” he wrote, and attached a video clip of the event.
Modi also interacted with the Indian community at the temple.
Modi flew into Bahrain from the United Arab Emirates where he was also conferred with the country’s top civilian honour, the “Order of Zayed” earlier on Saturday.