Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa (born 24 April 1960) is a
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
i diplomat who served as Bahrain's
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
from 2005 until January 2020.
Khalid became only the second foreign minister in Bahrain's history after replacing
Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa who then became Bahrain's deputy prime minister.
Early life and education
Khalid bin Ahmed was born on 24 April 1960.
He received a bachelor's degree in history and political sciences from
St. Edward's University in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, in 1984.
[
]
Career
Khalid bin Ahmed joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain at the rank of third secretary on 1 March 1985. Between August 1985 and November 1994 he worked at Bahrain's embassy in Washington, D.C.
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, where he was in charge of political, congressional, and media affairs. From June 1995 to August 2000 he worked as a chief liaison officer at the office of the deputy prime minister, minister of foreign affairs; responsible for the maritime delimitation and territorial dispute between Bahrain and Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
, in addition to other tasks. In August 2000, he assumed the position of the director of public relations and information at the court of the Crown Prince.
He was Ambassador to the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
from 2001 to 2005, and was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in a September 2005 cabinet reshuffle. His predecessor as foreign minister, Muhammad ibn Mubarak ibn Hamad Al Khalifah
Sheikh Mohammad bin Mubarak Al Khalifa (born 1935) is a Bahraini politician and a member of the Bahrain's royal family. He served as Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1970 to 2005, and he has been Deputy Prime Minister since 2005.
E ...
, had served in that position for over 30 years.
His deputy until 2011 was Nazar Al Baharna, formerly a leading member of Al Wefaq
Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society ( ar, جمعية الوفاق الوطني الإسلامية; ), sometimes shortened to simply Al-Wefaq, was a Shi'a Bahraini political party, that operates clandestinely after being ordered by the highest co ...
, Bahrain's main Shia opposition party.
In May 2018 he expressed his support of Israeli airstrikes in Syria against Iranian targets, saying “it is the right of any country in the region, including Israel to defend itself by destroying sources of danger.”
On 14 February 2019, Khalid bin Ahmed said that Israelis and Palestinians would be closer to a peace agreement if not for Iran's malign behavior. He said he grew up thinking that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the most important issue in the region, but now he sees that the "more toxic" challenge in the region is the Islamic Republic of Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.
During a June 25-26 economic conference in Manama arranged by Jared Kushner
Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He served as a senior advisor to 45th U.S. president Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Since leaving the White House, Kushner founded Affinity Partners, a pri ...
to attract investors to the Palestinian territories, Khalid told Israel’s channel 13: "Israel is part of this heritage of this whole region, historically, so the Jewish people have a place amongst us”. The Palestinian Authority boycotted the two-day economic conference due to the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
’s perceived Israeli bias.
Honors and awards
He was awarded the Bahrain Second Class Medal by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999.
He is the son of Isa bin Salm ...
in May 2001 in recognition of his contribution and role as a Liaison Officer during the territorial dispute between Bahrain and Qatar.Minister of Foreign Affairs Biography
''Ministry of Foreign Affairs''
See also
*
List of foreign ministers in 2017
This is a list of foreign ministers in 2017. Africa
*
*#Ramtane Lamamra (2013–2017)
*#Abdelkader Messahel (2017–2019)
* -
*#Georges Rebelo Chicoti (2010–2017)
*#Manuel Domingos Augusto (2017–2020)
* - Aurélien Agbénonci (2016–prese ...
*
List of current foreign ministers
This is a list of current foreign ministers of the 193 United Nations member states as well as the Holy See ( Vatican City) and the State of Palestine.
Foreign ministers of sovereign countries with limited recognition, some alternative gover ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalifa, Khalid bin Ahmed al
1960 births
Living people
Khalid ibn Ahmad
St. Edward's University alumni
Foreign ministers of Bahrain
Government ministers of Bahrain
Ambassadors of Bahrain to the United Kingdom
Ambassadors of Bahrain to Sweden