Manama: Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s foreign minister, describes himself as a world traveler and as a bon vivant. But he is also an avid reader with vast knowledge and a patient diplomat with cautious approaches.
His first public reaction to the announcement in the Swiss city of Lausanne of a landmark deal to keep Iran’s nuclear programme peaceful was a tweet.
“Important development in Lausanne. Waiting for detailed briefing from our allies,” he posted on his Twitter account where he has around 213,000 followers.
“The developments in Lausanne confirm that the US would keep its interests in the region and that it would not shift its focus to Asia. These interests are government by the conditions on the ground,” he later said.
“Interests between countries are mutual and depend on steady development and growth. This requires persistent efforts, especially in the new competitive environment,” he said on Thursday.
On Friday, the foreign ministry said in a statement that “Bahrain appreciated the great efforts exerted by the 5+1 Group to reach a framework with Iran about the Iranian nuclear programme.”
“Bahrain hopes the framework will lead to a final agreement that guarantees peace and security in the region,” the statement said.
Bahrain also looks forward to a qualitative change in the Iranian policy that includes non-interference in the domestic affairs of the countries in the region, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, as well as a commitment to positive cooperation and to constructive action in order to consolidate security and stability, the statement said.
Bahrain and the other GCC countries have been invited by US President Barak Obama to a meeting in the spring at Camp David to discuss the issue and security cooperation.
“I am inviting the leaders of the six countries who make up the Gulf Cooperation Council to meet me at Camp David this spring to discuss how we can further strengthen our security cooperation, while resolving the multiple conflicts that have caused so much hardship and instability throughout the Middle East,” Obama said on Thursday as he announced the framework to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The US president said that he had spoken on the phone with Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz to reaffirm the US commitment to the security of its partners in the Gulf.
