UAE and Saudi Arabia call for Iraq to respect Bahrain sovereignty

Statement by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr will not impact ties between Baghdad and GCC, experts say

The UAE and Saudi Arabia mad a statement on Monday opposing foreign interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs, following a controversial statement made by an Iraqi cleric aimed at Manama’s leadership.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry summoned the deputy Iraqi charge d’affaires, Nihad Rajab Askar, in Manama on Sunday in response to Moqtada Al Sadr’s “flagrant interference” in the country’s internal affairs, the Bahraini news agency reported.

Mr Al Sadr issued a statement on Saturday calling for the halting of wars in several Arab states as well as "the resignation of Bahrain's leadership."

Manama said it considered the statement by the Iraqi cleric to be an "obvious violation of international law and an abuse of the nature of relations between Bahrain and Iraq."

Saudi Arabia said that it supports "strong ties between Iraq and Bahrain where mutual respect prevails and contributes to regional security and stability.”

The UAE said it was following the developments “with great concern" and called on authorities in Baghdad to respected a policy of "non-intervention".

"The interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and any contempt or breach of the noble status of its leadership is objectionable meddling that can never be accepted," the UAE’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said that failure to contain the tensions between Iraq and Bahrain will lead to instability.

"Within this context, we are urging our brothers in the sisterly country of Iraq to commit to the principles of respect for sovereignty and non-intervention in order to strengthen Arab links and contribute to deepening stability in the region," the statement said.

However, Mr Al Sadr's statement on Bahrain is not particularly new and will not impact ties between Iraq and the GCC states, experts said.

"Such statements are as much part of Sadr appealing to his own constituencies as they are any true desire to influence foreign policy outside of Iraq's borders," Michael Stephens, research fellow for Middle East Studies at London's RUSI think tank, told The National.

“Sadr is not a state official, and therefore does not speak for the Iraqi State. The likelihood of a spat brewing between Iraq and Bahrain is therefore extremely low,” Mr Stephens said.

The heated exchange between Mr Al Sadr and the authorities in Bahrain will not have impact ties between Iraq and the GCC, Renad Mansour, senior research fellow at London's Chatham House told The National. 

"Iraq at the moment is trying to position itself to become a potential mediator of [regional] disputes. In fact the Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and President Barham Salih have been trying to revive Iraq's regional standing as a country with a foreign policy," Mr Mansour said.

Relations between Iraq and the Gulf states have strengthened during the last few years. Saudi Arabia and Iraq signed 12 political and economic agreements this month.

The reconciliation between the two countries began in 2015, when Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad on April 4, after a 25 year closure.

It was followed by a visit in 2017 by then Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel Al Jubeir, to Baghdad and resumption of regular flights between the two countries.