Manama: In light of what has been circulating in the media and on social media platforms regarding a proposed ministerial meeting on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarifies that the Kingdom of Bahrain will not participate in it and that it will not be a party to any group meeting that includes Iran before the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This position has already been communicated to the Sultanate of Oman through official channels, and it does not detract from the Kingdom’s appreciation of their sincere efforts or from its commitment to dialogue as a means to resolve differences.
The ministry believes that dialogue cannot ignore the facts. The Kingdom has been subjected to attacks targeting its infrastructure and civilian facilities, one of which, targeting an ammonia tank, nearly led to a comprehensive catastrophe. The targeting of the East-West oil pipeline in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Friday confirms that targeting civilian and economic facilities is a present danger, not a thing of the past.
The Ministry affirms that the security and stability of the region cannot be built on overlooking aggression, nor can it be bought by remaining silent about its consequences, nor can it be preserved through a policy of appeasement. The Kingdom of Bahrain, while adhering to good neighborliness as a legal obligation and not a political courtesy, believes that peace rests on four indispensable pillars: the cessation of aggression; the establishment of international responsibility for it and the redress of the resulting damage; respect for the sovereignty of states and the prohibition of using the territory of any state as a launching pad for aggression against its neighbors; and the resolution of outstanding issues through legal means.
The Ministry reiterates the Kingdom’s firm position that any arrangement concerning navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, adopted by the International Maritime Organization, and must safeguard the right of transit passage for all ships without discrimination, fees, or permits, and that all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries must contribute to it, given the connection between the security of the passage and the security of its supplies.
The Ministry affirms that the Kingdom of Bahrain, by virtue of its membership in the UN Security Council and its commitment to joint Gulf action, will continue to work through legal and diplomatic channels to safeguard freedom of navigation and regional security, and is prepared to support any consensual arrangement based on international law. The Kingdom does not close the door to peace, but it will not open it at the expense of justice; for peace not founded on justice is merely a temporary truce.
