Bahrainthismonth.com 22 November 2023 The new British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, HE Alastair Long, is settling into his new role as a custodian of the close relationship shared between the two countries. He kindly sat down with Kristian Harrison to discuss his diplomatic career to this point, his plans to bolster ties between the UK and Bahrain, his passion for animals and the environment, and much more. Excellency, welcome to Bahrain! Please can you firstly give us a brief overview of your diplomatic career so far? I started as a diplomat more than 20 years ago when I joined the Foreign Office and worked immediately on environmental security and then Turkey in London. My first overseas posting was in the wonderful city of Vienna where I was working for the UK delegation to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, largely on governance issues in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. From there, I worked on UN issues in our International Organisations Department and from there began work in Iran, which was my beginning in the Middle East and this particular region. I was then appointed as the Deputy Ambassador in Muscat, Oman, followed by a role as the Deputy Consul General in Dubai and the Regional Director for Trade for the whole of the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan. From there I moved to Riyadh, where I was the Director of Trade for Saudi Arabia, then to Cairo, Egypt, where I was the Trade Commissioner for Africa and now I have happily been appointed to Bahrain as my first full Ambassadorship. What are your first impressions of the Kingdom? I’ve come across Bahrain a few times in the past when I have visited for work reasons, and had always received a very warm welcome. My first impressions are of a place that feels comfortable in its skin. It’s got a deep history, a very strong human feel to it, and to be truthful it’s been wonderful, almost like coming home. How would you describe the current state of relations between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Bahrain? They are truly excellent. There are very few places in the world where our relationship is this strong and they’re arguably at an all-time high as well after a wonderful visit of HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister to the UK in July, which seemed to seal all kinds of different areas of cooperation that we’ve been working together on. BUILDING ON STRONG FOUNDATIONS interview
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