Tehran, March 21: Amid intensified crackdown on anti-government protesters in Bahrain, top Iranian and Turkish diplomats exchanged views on the latest situation in the Persian Gulf country.
In a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi called for immediate withdrawal of foreign forces from Bahrain.
He stressed upon the imperative of adopting a prudent position on current developments in Bahrain.
The Turkish foreign minister, for his part, said consultations between regional countries would represent an effective and important effort in settling regional issues in a rational way as well as meeting popular demands.
Demonstrators in the Shia-majority country have been demanding the ouster of the 230-year-old Sunni-led monarchy as well as constitutional reforms, with hundreds camping out peacefully in the capital’s Pearl Square since February 14th.
Bahraini security forces have been brutally suppressing protesters. At least 13 people have been killed and over 1,000 more injured in the crackdown.
Saudi Arabia has deployed more than 1,000 troops to the country, while the United Arab Emirates has dispatched around 500 police forces to assist in the repression of the peaceful protesters.
——–Agencies