The Kingdom of Bahrain and Belgium have enjoyed diplomatic relations for over 40 years. Woman This Month met with the Honorary Consul for Belgium in Bahrain, Martine S. Kindt, who highlighted the ties between the two countries.
Ms. Kindt was appointed as the Honorary Consul for Belgium in Bahrain in March 2023 by Royal Decree in Belgium. “I felt it was a great honour to represent my country abroad and to be of service,” says Ms. Kindt.
Since the Honorary Consulate in Bahrain does not issue passports or visas, Ms. Kindt also guides Belgians to the relevant persons and services. “Bahrain falls under the competence of the Belgian Embassy in Kuwait and we have an excellent collaboration for various services,” she states.
“As Honorary Consul, my primary responsibility is to assist Belgians in need in Bahrain, be it a resident of the Kingdom or visitor,” she explains. “Secondly, I support my non-resident Ambassador and assist him with all necessary matters, while my third duty is to represent Belgium to the best of my abilities here in Bahrain, at official events or any other matter.”
Trade relations between the two countries have grown consistently since the formal establishment of diplomatic relations on December 2, 1980. “Bahrain is business-friendly which is quite encouraging and I am quite impressed with how well-represented Belgian products here. Belgium mainly exports heavy machinery and parts to Bahrain, with companies like Besix having a strong presence here. Diamonds are also an important part of the exports,” she states.
Several world-renowned food brands have been established in Belgium; these brands including mouth-watering Belgian chocolates such as Godiva and Guylian are widely distributed in the Kingdom. “Lotus Speculoos and plant-based products by Alpro are also popular apart from our famous Belgian beverages,” she says.
Building on these robust trade relations, Ms. Kindt has set her sights on assisting Belgian companies who have expressed an interest in creating lucrative partnerships or expanding their business to Bahrain. “I work with our Economic Attaché, HE Laurence Heyblomme, who is based in our Embassy in Kuwait. She is in charge of economic affairs, working with the Belgian Export Organisations (FIT, Awex, Hub) and I’m assisting her as much as possible. I’m proud to mention that we had a Belgian economic FinTech mission in October last year organised by our Belgian Embassy. Several prestigious Belgian companies visited Bahrain, Bahrain Bourse, Arcapita, etc and had a very positive experience,” she states.
Highlighting upcoming projects and collaborations, Ms. Kindt states: “The dynamic Bahraini Ambassador appointed to Brussels, HE Abdullah bin Faisal bin Jabr Al Doseri and I are exploring how we can enhance exchanges and cooperation, being at the level of technology, industry or even sports. I also visited Derasat in Bahrain and exchanged views on subjects such as education or green energies and was positively encouraged by the quality of the institution.”
On July 21, Belgium will celebrate its National Day with a military défilé, followed by fire works. “Our country is great at celebrating this day – every city hosts events, fireworks, activities and traditional food is available everywhere. In Bahrain, we celebrate on November 15, which is our Belgian King’s day. Of course, we encourage equally everybody to join us when our national football team is playing, such as the current Euro 2024,” she says.
“Being in a wonderful host country, I aim to bring the best experience to both: my country and Bahrain,” she concludes.
