The comments made in Mashhad city on Tuesday by Iranian Inspector General Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri included provocative claims that infringe on the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Al-Attiyah told reporters here.
Nateq-Nouri tried to mock Bahrain’s Arab affiliation, the GCC chief pointed out.
"It seems that Iranian politicians such as Nateq-Nouri are still living beyond the bounaries of current history. They are obsessed by expansionist dreams and claim sovereignty over the territories of other nations," he said, apparently referring to Bahrain.
Al-Attiyah wondered "how a member state of the United Nations, the Arab League and the GCC could be a part of another country as Nateq-Nouri claimed." Such allegations can only be made by those who are either totally ignorant of geography, history and the international conventions, or trying to mock the principles of neighborliness and the sovereignty and independence of other nations, he underscored.
Al-Attiyah, meanwhile, voiced regret that the comments were made by someone who officially belongs to the Iranian political leadership, which could pose an obstacle to the efforts being made to improve the relations among the countries of the region.
