Speaker telephoned by Iraqi counterpart

Manama, June 28 (BNA): Speaker Fouzia bint Abdullah Zainal received a telephone call from Iraqi Speaker Mohammed Al Halbousi who expressed his appreciation of Bahrain’s stances in support Iraq and its people. He affirmed his absolute rejection of any behaviors aimed to tarnish the historic fraternal relations between the two countries and peoples. The Iraqi speaker hailed the wisdom of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Iraqi President Barham Saleh in boosting the strong ties. He stated the position of the Iraqi Parliament in rejecting the heinous mob attack on Bahrain’s embassy in Baghdad, affirming that the saboteurs will be held accountable for breaking the law. The Iraqi speaker affirmed that his country considers its diplomatic ties with Bahrain as a redline, as well as respecting the Kingdom’s sovereignty and that of all other states. He added that any threat to Bahrain’s interests or the safety of its embassy staff in Baghdad is unacceptable, reiterating his appreciation of Bahrain’s king, government and people. Al Halbousi explained that the Iraqi Parliament does not accept anything that undermines the Bahraini-Iraqi ties and that Iraq will always remember with gratitude and appreciation the Kingdom of Bahrain’s honorable stances in supporting Iraq and the Iraqi people under all circumstances throughout history. Zainal affirmed the strong ties with Iraq and its brotherly people, praising the Iraqi position vis-à-vis the objectionable attack. She also expressed appreciation of the wisdom of His Majesty the King and the Iraqi president, and the keenness of both countries to continue to develop the joint work in the various fields, especially the parliamentary cooperation and confront anyone who seeks to defame or tarnish the brotherly ties.