Ministerial committees to strengthen cooperation between Tehran, Manama

The governments of Iran and Bahrain on Tuesday announced the establishment of two committees to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said in a joint press conference held in Tehran with his Bahraini counterpart, Sheikh Muhammad Bin Mubarak al-Khaleifa, currently visiting Tehran, that the two countries are setting up "political and economic ministerial committees which should be conducive to other forms of cooperation."

Sheikh Muhammad Bin Mubarak underlined the importance pinned by Manama on the cooperation with Tehran, "which should deal, first, with economic and political fields, and then with security matters."

Upon arriving in Tehran on Monday, the Bahraini minister said he will discuss in Iran "the issues of security and stability in the Gulf," as well as "international and bilateral cooperation issues."

The Bahraini minister added that a new chapter has started in bilateral relations between the two countries which have reached an excellent level. The visit of the Bahraini minister to Iran reflects a closeness that started with the visit made by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi's to Manama last March when he offered condolences on the death of the late ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Issa Bin Salman al-Khaleifa.

The two countries exchanged ambassadors in January this year for the first time since 1996. The two ambassadors were recalled in June 1996 after Manama accused Tehran of being involved in anti-government actions that have been taking place in Bahrain since December 1994.