A decision by Aer Rianta to place a half-page advertisement in yesterday's Irish Times welcoming the Prime Minister of Bahrain to Dublin for a two-day official visit has been defended by the State airports authority.
In its advertisement, Aer Rianta wished "a hearty welcome" to His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa. "We wish you a memorable and successful visit," the authority declared.
Questioned yesterday, Aer Rianta said that one of its subsidiaries, Aer Rianta International, ran duty-free shops in Bahrain, Lebanon, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.
"This is the protocol in this part of the world that companies doing business run advertisements in their home press when a leading Bahraini politician is visiting," an Aer Rianta spokesman said.
The Middle Eastern duty-free shops, which are run by but not owned by Aer Rianta, last year earned over €230 million, although the exact value of the contracts to the airports authority is not known.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, hosted a lunch for the Bahraini Prime Minister yesterday, following talks that centred on the Arab-Israeli peace process, Iraq and Ireland's coming European Union presidency.
Speaking later, the Minister said: "Ireland and Bahrain have always maintained very friendly relations.
"The Government deeply values this relationship and views Bahrain as an important partner in the Gulf region.
"Enormous potential exists for greater trade co-operation between our two countries, particularly in IT, telecommunications, healthcare, financial and education services and air transport.
"Work has already commenced on a draft air transport agreement which will provide for greater aviation links and greatly enhance trade opportunities in the future," the Minister went on.
He particularly welcomed Bahrain's decision this summer to relax the restrictions on Irish beef sales. Besides Aer Rianta's operations in Bahrain, Irish companies last year exported goods worth €177 million to the Gulf state, including drinks, computers and pharmaceuticals.