Bahrain Foreign Minister Awaits Change in Iran's Policy
Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, Bahrain’s foreign minister, welcomes change in Iran but wants to see “real actions” in Iran’s approach to his country.
NEW YORK — Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, Bahrain’s foreign minister, welcomes a trend toward normalization between the United States and Iran, but has not yet seen a substantial shift in Iran’s policy toward Bahrain.
“We’ve seen some change, not a total change,” Sheikh Khalid told Al-Monitor on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “We have heard that they wanted to turn a new page in the region, but when it came to Bahrain, some of the old language still lingers.”
Sheikh Khalid is referring to Iran’s position under former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to reference Bahrain along with Syria, as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani did in his address to the UN General Assembly on Sept. 24.
“We defend peace based on democracy and the ballot box everywhere, including in Syria, Bahrain and other countries in the region, and believe that there are no violent solutions to world crises,” Rouhani said in his speech.
