Iran Slams Bahrain’s Irresponsibility on Repatriation of Citizens
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi criticized the Bahraini government’s irresponsible behavior towards its citizens who have been stranded in Iran following the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mousavi highlighted the measures adopted and the arrangements made by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to repatriate foreign citizens to their respective countries within the framework of the precautionary and preventive actions in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.
“While many regional countries took action to take back their citizens in cooperation with our country’s officials, sadly the government of Bahrain has not done anything to take back its citizens despite the readiness of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran for cooperation, and has not accepted proposals put forward by certain parties either,” he explained.
Slamming the Bahraini government’s irresponsible behavior towards its nationals, Mousavi said, “At present, around 1,300 Bahraini citizens who have come to Iran for pilgrimage and tourism have had to have a long and unwanted stay in Iran because the Bahraini government has neglected to address their situation.”
The spokesperson reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to the framework of humanitarian behavior in addressing the status of the Bahraini citizens, expressed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ readiness for any cooperation with Bahrain with the purpose of helping those individuals return to their own country, and held the Bahraini government accountable for any consequences of a delay in this regard, according to the Foreign Ministry’s official website.