Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited and offered prayers at the Shreenathji Temple in Manama, Bahrain today before departing to attend the G7 summit in Biarritz.
He had earlier made a special first purchase using the RuPay card in the UAE on Saturday to offer ‘prasad’ at the temple in Manama on Sunday. The transaction was made at what appears to be an Indian sweets shop.
UAE became the third country where the RuPay card was launched at, after Bhutan and Singapore. The Prime Minister was also conferred the ‘Order of Zayed’ during his bilateral visit to the middle-eastern nation.
On the last leg of his three-nation tour, Prime Minister Modi in Bahrain on Saturday was honoured with the ‘The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance’ during his meeting with the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
“I feel very honoured and fortunate to be awarded The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance. I am equally honoured by your majesty’s friendship for me and for my country. I humbly accept this prestigious honour on behalf of 1.3 billion Indians,” Modi said while accepting the award.
“It is an honour for entire India. This is a symbol of the close and friendly relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and India,” he added.
Before his meeting with the King of Bahrain, Modi had addressed a 15,000-strong Indian community event at the Bahrain National Stadium.
He also held a meeting with his Bahraini counterpart, Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, where a string of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) were exchanged in the fields of culture, space, collaboration with ISA and Rupay Card.
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“Infusing new energy on the foundation of close civilizational linkages. PM @narendramodi arrives in #Manama, Bahrain. As a special gesture, received warmly by HH Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the PM of #Bahrain. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian PM to Bahrain,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had tweeted after Modi arrived in Bahrain on the third leg of his three-country visit.
Before Bahrain, the Prime Minister held successful official engagements at both France and the UAE. He will now head back to France to take part in the G-7 summit from August 25 to 26 as a Biarritz partner in the sessions on Environment, Climate, Oceans and on Digital Transformation.
(With ANI inputs)