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IT was the first time a US President had visited the kingdom and President George W. Bush's landmark visit was hailed as an historic moment, marking the strength of US-Bahrain ties.
The kingdom was the president's second stop on his tour of US-allied Arab states, and he looked relaxed and happy at a ceremony where he was welcomed by His Majesty King Hamad at Sakhir Palace on Saturday.
The pair laughed and brandished ceremonial swords and Mr Bush declared: "I come with an upbeat message, a hopeful message - a message that will prevail here in the Middle East," adding that Bahrain and the US shared a common vision about the future of the region.
He inspected a guard of honour presented by the Royal Chivalry Squad and later the King honoured President Bush with the Shaikh Isa First Class Medal for his "unprecedented effort in strengthening bilateral ties."
His Majesty said the visit reflected the progress in historic Bahraini-US ties that culminated in the Free Trade Agreement signed two years ago.
"Bahrain considers the US a friend, an ally and a partner and appreciates the continued support of keenness to ensure peace and progress for all out of our common belief in the values of freedom, pluralism, human rights and women empowerment," he said.
President Bush praised the King for Bahrain's efforts on democratic reforms, highlighting the fact that free elections were held and a woman had been elected to parliament.
He explained: "Bahrain's reforms are making your nation stronger, you're showing strong leadership, you're showing the way forward to other nations."
The King also thanked the US for its defence co-operation with Bahrain and for the advanced defence systems which helped the kingdom to protect itself.
He praised the US Navy's role over the last 50 years in streamlining defence logistics and spoke of his pride over the navy's relationship with Bahrain.
"We are proud of our relationship with the US Navy and we value the services it renders to maritime navigation in the region," he said.
On Saturday evening, His Majesty held a banquet in honour of the visiting leader. The following day in a less glamorous location, President Bush joined the food-line at the Fifth Fleet Base in Juffair, picking up pancakes, syrup and bacon, before sitting down to breakfast with a group of sailors.
He discussed the recent Strait of Hormuz incident, in which Iranian Revolutionary Guards reportedly harassed US ships, with Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, the Commander of the Fifth Fleet, who made clear that his forces took it "deadly seriously," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters travelling with President Bush.
After visiting the Fifth Fleet on Sunday, Air Force One left Muharraq for Abu Dhabi.
His Majesty King Hamad said that Mr Bush's landmark visit would be engraved on the memories of Bahrainis for decades to come and Mr Bush invited the King to visit Washington.
