Manama: Iran should put an end to its hostile and sectarian policies towards its neighbours in order to help ensure peace and stability in the region, Bahrain’s foreign minister has said.
Addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa charged that Iran had so far failed to reciprocate the goodwill policy adopted by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Arab countries to promote stability, security, development and good neighbourliness in the region.
“We in the GCC and all Arab countries have spared no effort to build with this neighbouring country the best possible relations on the basis of good neighbourliness and respect for the sovereignty of states, consistent with the practices and principles of international relations between states,” Shaikh Khalid said late on Monday.
“We did not hesitate an instant to build bridges and improve relations with it. However, all these efforts and sincere wishes were met with no serious response from Iran, and always ended either in an impasse or by the fabrication of new problems and crises to return us to square one. We still hear the same irresponsible sectarian discourse from Iran, and witness the damage done to our bilateral and collective relations with it.”
Shaikh Khalid said that the latest incident was the false allegations made by Iranian officials against Saudi Arabia, “a country that plays a remarkable role in providing care and hospitality to the huge numbers of pilgrims, and assumes responsibility for their safety and protection with great efficiency during the seasons of Haj and Umrah.”
The minister said the Saudi efforts cannot be denied or belittled by anyone.
“We still face Iran’s attempts to jeopardise our security and social peace through support provided to groups and militias under its authority such as the terrorist Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran is still occupying the three Emarati islands in the Arabian Gulf and refusing mediation for a peaceful settlement. The situation is clear and there is no way that it will change if Iran does not change its foreign policies comprehensively and put an end to its hostile policies and show an open attitude towards our countries, thus paving the way for the region to enter a new era of stability and development,” Shaikh Khalid said.
