Iranian delegation in Bahrain for Iraq

A high-ranking Iranian delegation has arrived in Manama for a preliminary meeting in the Bahraini capital prior to a regional summit on Iraq.

The meeting scheduled for Sunday will be followed by the upcoming ministerial meeting of Iraq’s neighboring countries which is due to be held in Manama on Wednesday, according to IRNA news agency.

The Iranian delegation to Manama is headed by Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs Ali Abdollahi, who is joined by the Foreign Ministry’s Deputy Director General of Persian Gulf and Middle East Affairs Hossein Kamalian, Interior Minister’s Advisor Rasoul Hosseini, Deputy Interior Minister for Border Affairs Ali Eslampanah and Deputy Foreign Minister for International Affairs Ali Azimlou.

The two-day gathering will see officials from the Islamic Republic, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey. Interior ministers from the same countries will convene after three days.

The preparatory gathering will focus on finding ways to boost security cooperation among the nations and help control joint borders and prevent infiltration of terrorists via borders into Iraq.

Fighting terror and organized crime, helping Iraq’s security and helping the Iraqi government restore stability and the rule of law in the war-torn country are among the other issues high on the agenda for the discussions.

The first summit of Iraq’s neighboring countries was held in the Iranian capital of Tehran in 2004 upon an initiative by the Iranian government. The next sessions were held in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt respectively.