Talks between Blinken and Al-Zayani come after Manama appoints head of diplomatic mission to Israel LONDON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani on Friday to discuss Manama’s relations with Israel. “Secretary Blinken and the foreign minister discussed Bahrain’s historic opening with Israel and ways to capitalize on progress made at the first US-Bahrain Strategic Dialogue held in December,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. The talks come after Bahrain announced it had appointed Khalid Al-Jalahma as head of its diplomatic mission to Israel on Tuesday. The Israeli foreign ministry said that a team from Bahrain would arrive in Israel in the coming weeks to make the necessary arrangements for the Bahraini embassy. Bahrain signed a US-brokered deal with Israel last year to normalize relations. The Abraham Accords were also signed by the UAE, Sudan and Morocco. Previously, only Egypt and Jordan had diplomatic relations with Israel, signed in 1979 and 1994, respectively. Price said the two sides also discussed joint regional security initiatives throughout the Gulf. “Secretary Blinken outlined key policy objectives, including continued progress on human rights, and commended Bahrain for its successful efforts to combat human trafficking,” Price added.