Manama: Bahrain has denied claims that it had sent an invitation to a US senior official whom it declared “unwelcome” last month to visit the country.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced at a daily briefing in Washington that US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Tomasz Malinowski had been invited back into the kingdom.

“He has received an invitation to return to Bahrain,” she said on August 25. “There’s a trip that’s currently being planned. I don’t have details on that yet at this point in time.”

However, Abdullah Abdul Lateef, the Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, on Thursday said that Bahrain had not sent an invitation to Malinowski.

“What we have now is contacts between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States of America to overcome the effects of the recent visit by Mr. Tom Malinowski and to ensure that the historical ties of friendship existing between the two countries in all areas are not affected,” he said in a statement carried by Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

The Bahraini official added that the statements by the US State Department spokeswoman at the briefing “included many inaccuracies and errors about the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

“The Kingdom of Bahrain is committed to, and is implementing, the reforms initiated by His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa,” he said. “The Kingdom does not prevent freedom of expression in any form and within the confines of the law, and it safeguards its security, stability and the welfare of its people. The US appreciated such an approach very well when it faced the recent incidents of sabotage,” he said.

The undersecretary stressed that Bahrain did not need “international observers” to assess its policies and the progress it has achieved, he said.

“We wish the US State Department spokeswoman would be more cautious in making her remarks and would not level charges or fallacies against a country that is a friend and ally of the United States of America,” he said.

Malinowski was declared “unwelcome” in Bahrain on July 7 for reportedly flagrantly intervening in Bahrain’s domestic affairs, discrimination, contravening diplomatic norms and flouting normal inter-state relations.