7 October 2016, 15:58 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Bahrain hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay an official visit to the kingdom in the near future at the invitation of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain's ambassador to Russia Ahmed Abdulrahman Saati said Monday.
"We hope for Mr. President Vladimir Putin's visit. The king sent an invitation to visit the Kingdom of Bahrain during his visit [to Moscow] in August. He [Putin] promised to accept the invitation at the appropriate time," Saati told RIA Novosti in an interview.
According to the diplomat, Putin's visit to Bahrain will considerably promote Russia's presence in the Persian Gulf region, as "Bahrain is a gateway to this region."
The leadership of the kingdom is aware of a tight schedule of the Russian president and the invitation remains in force, the ambassador added.
