Relationship dossier
Bahrain
Serbia
Relationship assessment
Growing bilateral cooperation alongside disagreement over Kosovo
Bahrain toward Serbia
+15Bahrain has engaged Serbia through high-level political visits and bilateral agreements. Bahrain's recognition of Kosovo conflicts with Serbia's position on Kosovo's status.
Serbia toward Bahrain
+30Serbia has pursued closer ties with Bahrain through high-level visits and agreements covering areas including economic cooperation and other practical exchanges.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines expanding bilateral engagement, including high-level visits and agreements, with a substantial political disagreement over Kosovo's status. The cooperation supports a generally positive relationship, while the disagreement limits its alignment.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bahrain and Serbia have pursued closer political and practical cooperation, including high-level visits and bilateral agreements. Bahrain's recognition of Kosovo is a significant point of disagreement with Serbia, which rejects Kosovo's independence. The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation are not fully clear.
Areas of tension
- Bahrain's recognition of Kosovo conflicts with Serbia's position that Kosovo is part of Serbia.
Key developments
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić visited Bahrain for talks with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa visited Serbia, where the two countries concluded bilateral cooperation agreements.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral agreements are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing economic and security cooperation is uncertain.