Modi in Bahrain: PM conferred with "The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance"

Abu Dhabi, Aug 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Saturday was honoured with "The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance" as he held talks with King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on various bilateral and regional issues.

Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bahrain is significant as it is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to the country.

"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.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance. This was announced by His Majesty the King of Bahrain," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also honoured with the highest civilian award by the United Arab Emirates, amid country's stand that abrogation of Article 370 is an internal matter of India in what can be seen as a snub for Pakistan.

PM Modi discussed ways to improve trade and cultural ties between India and the UAE with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

Welcoming Modi, the crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, expressed gratitude to his "brother" for visiting "his second home".

"Had an excellent meeting with His Highness Crown Prince @MohamedBinZayed. We spoke about multiple subjects, including ways to improve trade and people-to-people relations between India and UAE," Modi tweeted after the meeting.

The prime minister also said the crown prince's "personal commitment" to strenghten the bilateral relations is "very strong".

Modi was also honoured with the 'Order of Zayed', the UAE's highest civilian award, as a mark of appreciation for his efforts to boost bilateral ties between the two nations. From Bahrain, Modi is scheduled to return to France on Sunday to attend the G7 Summit meeting.