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Manama continues to make efforts to enhance its credentials for freedom of religion, with King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa holding talks with the Indian Orthodox Church supreme leader Pope Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Mathews III at Al-Safriya Palace.

Oman’s Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said made a relatively rare trip within the region in October, travelling to Bahrain for talks with King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa. The two rulers witnessed the signing of several agreements, including ones on co-operation in security, transport, tourism, education and other areas.

Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa was in Fontainebleau, France, to watch his son and representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa compete in a horse-riding endurance race.

Bahrain is to host the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis and Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayeb at the 3-4 November  Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence. It will be the centrepiece of a four-day visit by the pope.

Senior Gulf figures travelled to Tokyo for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 27 September. Abe was murdered on 8 July, while campaigning in the country’s general election.

Bahrain is heading into another election for its unicameral  parliament, the Council of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwab), amid calls by government critics to shun the event.There are doubts about the level of voter enthusiasm even without a formal boycott, with opposition parties such as Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society and Waad (the National Democratic Action Society) still banned

The ambivalent attitude of Gulf rulers towards Washington has been given added rationale by two newly released opinion polls, which found that nationals of Saudi Arabia and the UAE think it more important to maintain good relations with Russia and China than with the United States.

Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa held talks with France’s President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Hamad’s French trip followed visits to Paris by UAE's MBZ and Saudi Arabia's MBS.

GSN Risk Grade: C↑3↓ Election preparations: Elections for the Majlis Al-Nuwab (Council of Representatives) are due to be held in November, with 40 single-seat constituencies up for grabs. In preparation, the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs has reportedly written to local political societies to warn them they should only meet representatives from foreign embassies in co-ordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with a MFA representative in attendance.

Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) chair Sheikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa has been dismissed from her post, after reportedly refusing to shake hands with Israel’s ambassador to Bahrain Eitan Naeh.

Manama and Doha took a significant step towards reconciliation at the Jeddah Summit for Security and Development, with a face-to-face meeting between Bahraini King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

US President Joe Biden’s imminent trip to the Middle East has prompted renewed discussion about the idea of a region-wide defence pact to counter Iran. Such ideas have long been floated for the GCC states alone – and always failed due to a lack of commitment among the six countries to pool their defence resources and command-and-control structures. The talk these days is of an even wider arrangement, involving the likes of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Israel.

Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa received Bahraini-Russian Friendship and Business Society chairman George Al-Zuraikat and vice chairman Anatoly Mitrochin at Safriya Palace in Manama.

Bahrain’s Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa won a 160km endurance horse race at Šamorín, Slovakia.

Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa issued a royal order to set up a Military Institution for the Development of Warfare Industries, as Bahrain takes further steps to develop its own military manufacturing sector, following the lead of the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the region.