Bahrain delegation of the opposition arrives in Moscow for talks

A delegation of the Bahraini opposition arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for a four-day visit -February 6 to 10 – to discuss with officials a way out of the crisis.
Ali Salman, Head of al-Wefaq told the press “The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly expressed its desire to invite us to Moscow for political consultations. And this is the goal of our visit to Russia. The delegation of the Bahraini opposition will consist of three political associations and four parties. At the moment we don’t have the exact data regarding exactly which representatives of the Russian authorities we will meet, but we know that these will be influential people.”

The delegation is set to meet with Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Russia Vice Chairman of the State Duma Nikolai to Avigiv among others.

Ali Salman stressed the importance of the meeting, explaining how much Russia could use its position to broker a peaceful agreement with al-Khalifa regime.

“We consider the forthcoming visit very important because Russia can play a very important role in supporting our ideas and demands in international organizations. In Moscow, we plan to discuss the human rights situation in Bahrain and the political situation in the country. We would very much like to hear the opinion of our Russian interlocutors in that regard and their proposals. Moreover, we would like to meet with representatives of the media, employees of research centers, and with ordinary people interested in Bahrain and the future of its people,” said Salman to reporters.

Al-Wefaq is insisting on the need for democratic reforms respectful of people’s inherent human and civil rights.