Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa to the State Department on Wednesday.

Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State: “It’s a pleasure, once again, for me to welcome my colleague and counterpart, the foreign minister of Bahrain. He’s been here in consultations with many officials of our government, members of Congress, others who care deeply about Bahrain and our important relationship. And I’m looking forward to a wide-ranging, comprehensive discussion of our full agenda.”

The meeting comes at a time when human rights groups are criticizing the Obama administration for its continued support of Bahrain despite the kingdom’s recent deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters. Part of Wednesday’s meeting focused on a planned $53 million U.S. arms sale to Bahrain that has been temporarily put on hold. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland defended the arms sale, saying it would bolster Manama’s external defenses.