The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Manama expressed dissatisfaction with the repeated actions of Moayad Abdul Rahman, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq, for his unacceptable behavior that goes against diplomatic norms. The ministry summoned him and conveyed regret and displeasure for his breaches of diplomatic norms. Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani, the Bahraini Foreign Minister, strongly condemned his behavior and handed an official note of protest to him. The Bahraini Foreign Ministry considered his interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain unacceptable and contradictory to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed the return of the Chargé d’Affaires to Baghdad to enhance the status of Iraqi diplomacy. This is not the first time that Manama has protested against the Iraqi side. The Bahraini Foreign Ministry had previously summoned the Chargé d’Affaires in April 2019 and in January 2017, and the ambassador to Baghdad in the same year.
Today, Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chargé d’Affairs and informed him of its regret and displeasure over his repeated breaches of diplomatic norms.
The Bahraini Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani, informed the Iraqi Chargé d’Affairs of the Ministry’s “strong” condemnation of his recent unacceptable behavior, which contradicts diplomatic protocols in the Kingdom, and contradicts his diplomatic duties as Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The Bahraini Foreign Ministry considered that behavior, which was not referred to in the Bahrain News Agency statement, as an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain. It contradicts the principles regulating relations between states stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations, and Al-Zayani handed over to the Iraqi charge d’affaires an official note of protest in this regard.
For its part, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein had directed the return of the Iraqi Chargé d’Affaires to Bahrain to the ministry’s headquarters in Baghdad, indicating that this measure comes to enhance the status of Iraqi diplomacy, which the ministry pursues in preserving diplomatic norms.
This is not the first time that Manama has protested against the Iraqi side. In April of 2019, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq to the Kingdom, and affirmed its strong condemnation and protest against the statement issued by the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who was involved in it in the name of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which represented an insult that was rejected by the Manama authorities at the time, and considered it a blatant interference in internal affairs of the Kingdom, and in violation of the covenants and principles of international law.
In the same year, Manama summoned its ambassador to Baghdad for “consultations”, after an attack on its embassy by protesters at a conference in the Bahraini capital to discuss a plan to establish peace in the Middle East.
In January 2017, the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Iraq’s ambassador to Manama to protest statements made by Iraqi officials after the execution of people convicted of an attack in 2014 that killed three Bahraini police officers.
In conclusion, the recent incident between Bahrain and Iraq once again highlights the importance of diplomatic norms and protocols in maintaining peaceful relations between nations. The Bahraini Foreign Ministry’s condemnation of the Iraqi Chargé d’Affaires’ actions and the Iraqi Foreign Minister’s decision to recall him to Baghdad serve as reminders that diplomacy is crucial in resolving conflicts and promoting stability in the region. It remains to be seen whether this latest incident will have any lasting impact on the relationship between the two countries, but one thing is certain: both sides must continue to work towards mutual respect and understanding in their diplomatic interactions.