By Mahmoud Gharib
CAIRO (AA) – Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, speaking at a joint press conference with his Bahraini counterpart Tuesday, called for stepped-up Arab solidarity in the face of growing Iranian influence in the region.
At a press conference held in Cairo with Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, Shoukry called on Tehran to adopt policies vis-à-vis Egypt, the Gulf States and the Arab world in general based on “mutual respect” and “non-interference” in other countries’ affairs.
Shoukry added that Bahrain and Egypt — the latter of which has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1979 — were both suffering from scourge of “terrorism”, stressing the need for stepped-up cooperation with a view to promoting regional stability.
Al-Khalifa, for his part, said his country hoped to end its current political crisis, going on to demand that Iran “change its policy toward countries of the region and halt its attempts to interfere in their domestic affairs”.
He also noted that Bahrain hoped to sign several agreements with Egypt in the fields of public health, education, environment, navigation and the civil services.
Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa is expected to arrive in Egypt later on Tuesday for a two-day visit.
