Bahrain, Israel to sign deal to establish diplomatic relations

Bahrain, Israel

MANAMA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A high-level U.S.-Israeli delegation arrived in Manama, capital of Bahrain on Sunday to sign a deal to advance full diplomatic relations between Israel and Bahrain.

The joint delegation includes Israel's National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin.

They were welcomed at the Bahrain International Airport by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani.

"It is our pleasure to welcome the delegates from the U.S. and Israel to the Kingdom of Bahrain, following the historic peace agreement signed last month to promote peace and security in the region," said Al Zayani in his welcome remarks.

"The next step is to bring about genuine and lasting peace that safeguards the rights of the Middle East people," he said.

Bahrain and Israel signed a U.S.-brokered normalization deal at the White House on Sept. 15.