Bahrain to resume diplomatic representation in Lebanon
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Bahrain decides to resume its diplomatic representation in Lebanon as regional relations warm up.
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Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, speaks at the government palace, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 27, 2023 (AP)
The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared on Saturday that Bahrain and Lebanon would shortly reestablish full diplomatic ties, and ambassadors will be named and stationed in the respective capitals.
According to a statement, the choice was made to "strengthen the brotherly relations" and foster respect between the two nations' citizens.
Moreover, Manama added that the decision was in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the League of Arab States and the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the decision of the Kingdom of Bahrain to resume diplomatic representation at the ambassadorial level with Lebanon.
"We value this decision, and we welcome it in the context of the brotherly relations between the two countries," Mikati said.
He also expressed "Lebanon's thanks to the brotherly countries, especially the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, for providing job opportunities for the Lebanese in their land and within their private and public institutions, wishing a speedy return to all Arab brothers to Lebanon."
The Prime Minister had consulted with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdullah Bou Habib, and they agreed on the importance of embracing this gesture and building on it in order to develop and strengthen bilateral relations between Lebanon and Bahrain.
Gulf states suspended diplomatic ties with Lebanon after the airing of comments regarding the war on Yemen by then-Information Minister George Kordahi.
Saudi Arabia and various other Gulf states announced at the end of October 2021 that they had summoned its ambassador to Lebanon for consultations, and requested that the Lebanese ambassador leaves within 48 hours, following the publication of an interview with Qardahi before he was appointed a minister describing the war on Yemen as absurd.
The repercussions of the crisis developed to include several Gulf countries, such Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain, which took similar positions to each other.
Kordahi said that he was open to any solution that would benefit Lebanon and restore its relations with the Gulf states, but stressed that his resignation should not be "just a shot in the air that does not bring any results," as he put it.
He wound up submitting his registration, saying, "I do not wish to be a cause of harm to Lebanon and my fellow Lebanese [residing] in the Gulf States because Lebanon is more important than I".
Kordahi added in the press conference that "there is no need to remind [anyone] that the interview [in which I criticized the war on Yemen] was conducted before I was appointed minister," noting that he was the victim of a deliberate campaign launched by media outlets in Lebanon and the Gulf.
He also pointed out that because of this campaign, "demands for my resignation and a boycott of Lebanon began by Gulf states," stressing that "due to this massive and unjust pressure against Lebanon, I refused to resign at the time."
As for the war on Yemen, Kordahi said: "The war in Yemen will not last forever, and there will come a day when the warring factions will sit at the table to talk," noting that "President Macron will discuss the issue of restoring relations with Lebanon with Saudi Arabia.”
