From Karim: "Regarding your story yesterday
on the new British naval base in Bahrain, guess who will be picking up the tab:
“Bahrain will contribute most of the £15m cost of construction, with the UK picking up the ongoing costs.
Chief of the defence staff, general Sir Nicholas Houghton, said the deal was symbolic and strategically important. ‘Rather than just being seen as a temporary deployment to an area for a specific operational purpose, this is more symbolic of the fact that Britain does enjoy interests in the stability of this region,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘And the fact that the Bahraini authorities and government agreed to fund infrastructure within the country to base our maritime capability forward, both is a recognition from their perspective of the quality of the relationship with the United Kingdom, but also of our interest over time in maintaining the stability of this very important area.’ ”
on the new British naval base in Bahrain, guess who will be picking up the tab:
“Bahrain will contribute most of the £15m cost of construction, with the UK picking up the ongoing costs.
Chief of the defence staff, general Sir Nicholas Houghton, said the deal was symbolic and strategically important. ‘Rather than just being seen as a temporary deployment to an area for a specific operational purpose, this is more symbolic of the fact that Britain does enjoy interests in the stability of this region,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘And the fact that the Bahraini authorities and government agreed to fund infrastructure within the country to base our maritime capability forward, both is a recognition from their perspective of the quality of the relationship with the United Kingdom, but also of our interest over time in maintaining the stability of this very important area.’ ”
