According to a statement issued by the Bahraini Royal Court, King Hamad and top Bahraini officials will be at the airport to receive the Saudi leader and his accompanying delegation. “We welcome our great guest, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to Bahrain,” it said.

This is Abdullah’s first visit to Bahrain after he became king in August 2005. Political analysts believe the royal visit will open a new era in relations between the two GCC neighbors.

“Undoubtedly, this unprecedented visit will take the brotherly ties between the two countries to new heights,” said Esam Abdulla Fakhro, chairman of the Federation of GCC Chambers.

Fakhro, who is also chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the fraternal ties between the two ruling families have reflected positively on the overall relations between the two governments and the people of the two states over the past many decades.

This year Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will celebrate the 24th anniversary of the King Fahad Causeway that links the two countries.

“This causeway has been instrumental in bringing the people of both countries even closer and also triggered the flow of investments, commercial activities and tourism,” Fakhro said.

Nonoil trade volume surged to BD570 million in 2008 from BD260 million in 2003, registering a 20 percent increase annually. During the same period over eight million cars passed through the causeway, providing a strong support to the tourism sector, he said.

Speaking about cooperation in the industrial sector, he said Saudi Arabia holds a 23 percent stake through SABIC in Aluminum Bahrain, the world’s largest aluminum smelter. “Saudi investments in GPIC, GIB and Bahrain Saudi Bank are some of the very important joint ventures in Bahrain,” he said.

Bahrain Refinery receives 250,000 barrels of crude daily from Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah met with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay at his palace in Riyadh on Saturday. The meeting was attended by senior officials including Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, deputy commander of the National Guard for executive affairs, and Bandar Al-Aiban, chairman of the Human Rights Commission.

Pillay is on a 10-day visit to the GCC countries to gain first-hand understanding of current dynamics in the GCC region in relation to human rights.

— With input from agencies