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H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of  the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities (BACA), per an official mandate by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, May God Protect Him, has taking part in “The Tbilisi Silk Road Forum”, held in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on 22 & 23 October 2019. The forum is  attended by local and foreign businessmen, representatives of international organizations and the diplomatic corps, as well as international experts and journalists.
 
The biennial forum on October 22-23 is attended by around 2,000 government leaders, experts, business people and media figures from 60 countries. The Silk Road Forum is in its third edition after it was held in 2015 and 2017.

H.E commented on this event saying : " I would like to express my gratitude and profound appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the prime minister, for the high honour bestowed on me in mandating me to participate in “The Tbilisi Silk Road Forum. I thank His Royal Highness greatly for the trust and confidence he has shown in me. The forum is a great opportunity to promote the status of Bahrain as a civilizational, cultural and economic center that connects various civilizations through creative cultural and economic outcomes".

H.E argued that the forum is a window for Bahrain as through this participation, it is possible to reinvigorate the exchange of experiences and perspectives on Bahrain's future role in the Silk Road project that revives old trade routes and connects East and West, H.E added. Silk Road  will offer an unrivalled platform for enabling us to build high-value relationships with some of the most influential aviation professionals from across the region. H.E added saying "For thousands of years, these roads were not only ways of exchanging goods, but also for the meeting of civilizations and the exchange of cultures and knowledge."

The mission of the forum is to serve as an international platform for multilateral high-level dialogue among senior policymakers, businesses and community leaders to discuss important issues on trade and connectivity, examine challenges facing countries along the New Silk Road connecting East and West, and find common solutions that have a positive impact on the region and the global economy. Indeed, the economic integration and globalization, the development of trade and economic relations between countries is of top importance to be the part of the Silk Road initiative, which serves the goal of close economic, state-to-state cooperation. It seeks to find common shared solutions for the multiple challenges facing the development of prosperous economy locally and internationally.

Tbilisi Silk Road Forum traditional format of the forum is preserved, whereby the  1st day  provides opportunities to discuss a full spectrum of issues related to trade , artificial intelligence (AI),  transport and energy in separate panel discussions, and the 2nd will focus  on the private sector and investment opportunities in Georgia. Various side events on topical issues will also take place as part of the forum. International trade is at the center of the global economy and is a major driver of economic growth. Ancient trade routes, now replaced by modern systems of transportation and communication, remain highways for the exchange of goods, culture, technology and knowledge. Transportation corridors continue to develop to accommodate the growing scale and increasing speed at which international trade is conducted today. Countries and businesses are focusing on emerging possibilities, while international and regional dialogues remain centered around the improvement of connectivity and the promotion of economic openness.