Bahraini PM urges expansion of ties with Iran

Bahraini Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa on Saturday called for further expansion of all-out ties with Iran.

In a meeting with Iran’s Ambassador to Manama Amir Abdollahian, he reiterated that bilateral cooperation between the two neighboring states would strengthen regional cooperation and help establish regional security.

Commeing on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, the Bahraini PM said gaining access to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes was the inalienable right of the Islamic Republic.

Tehran and Bahrain have always enjoyed amicable ties based on mutual respect, he said, underlining the need for settlement of regional issues through dialogue and cooperation between the two states.

All regional states favoured friendly neighborly ties with Iran, Sheikh Khalifa said.

He further pointed to Iran’s wisely-founded relations with regional countries including Bahrain and praised Tehran’s principled policy based on interaction and constructive dialogue with other countries.

Underscoring the importance of exchange of visits between officials of the regional states, the Bahraini premier said he would visit Tehran in the near future at the invitation of First Vice-President Parviz Davoudi.

For his part, the Iranian ambassador expressed his satisfaction with the growing trend of ties between the two countries.

He also termed exchange of visits between the two countries’ officials as fruitful.

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