Manama, Sep. 12 (BNA): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the Kingdom of Bahrain would not take part in a proposed ministerial meeting on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and would not be a party to any collective meeting that includes Iran prior to the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries, in response to rumors circulated by media outlets and social media platforms.
Foreign Ministry issues statement on reports of proposed Strait of Hormuz ministerial meeting
The ministry stated in a statement that the Sultanate of Oman had already been informed of this stance through official channels and that it did not lessen the Kingdom’s gratitude for its earnest efforts or its dedication to using conversation to settle disagreements.
The ministry stated that ignoring facts is not a foundation for conversation. Attacks on the Kingdom’s civilian assets and infrastructure have occurred; one such attack, on an ammonia tank, almost resulted in a full-scale disaster. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline was targeted on Friday, demonstrating that attacks on commercial and civilian infrastructure are still a real threat.
The ministry emphasized that the region’s security and stability cannot be established by ignoring attacks, cannot be bought by being silent about their effects, and cannot be maintained by an appeasement strategy. While maintaining good neighborliness as a legal duty rather than a political courtesy, the Kingdom of Bahrain believes that peace is based on four essential pillars: an end to attacks, the establishment of international responsibility for them and compensation for the resulting harm, respect for state sovereignty and the idea that no state’s territory should be used as a starting point for aggression against its neighbors, and the resolution of outstanding issues through legal means.
The ministry reaffirmed the Kingdom’s adamant stance that any agreement pertaining to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, must be approved by the International Maritime Organization, must protect the right of transit passage for all vessels without discrimination, fees, or permits, and must involve the participation of all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states because the security of the passage is linked to the security of their supplies.
The ministry emphasized that the Kingdom of Bahrain will continue to work through legal and diplomatic channels to protect freedom of navigation and regional security because of its membership in the UN Security Council and its commitment to cooperative Gulf action. It will also be prepared to support any agreement that enjoys consensus and is based on the law. The Kingdom does not close the door to peace, but it will not open it at the expense of morality because peace that is not based on justice is only a ceasefire that is about to expire.
