Bahraini king says position of Arab world on Gaza 'almost unanimous'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The May 16 Arab League summit marked a rare but "almost unanimous" agreement among Arab countries regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said on Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the Bahraini monarch said Arab countries achieved "complete understanding and agreement" on the need to hold an international peace conference on Gaza.

"Russia will be the first country I will turn to for support on this initiative because Russia plays an important role, can promote it, and has great authority worldwide. I hope this conference will take place in Bahrain," he said.

The king then conveyed Putin "best wishes" from his "Arab friends," noting that the countries of the region "deeply appreciate Russia’s role in the fair resolution of Arab issues."

"We seek an end to the conflict in this region to save civilian lives. The ongoing conflict has forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes. The Gaza Strip is only 40 kilometers long and 12 kilometers wide, with women and children huddled on this small piece of land under constant shelling. It is important to emphasize that these are innocent civilians," he asserted.

The Bahraini ruler also highlighted the importance of "good neighborliness," expressing hope that the normalization and enhancement of relations with Iran will be completed soon.

For his part, Putin said he was interested in hearing the monarch's opinion on the situation in Middle East and details of the discussion at the Arab League summit, which had called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, and deployment of UN peacekeeping forces in occupied Palestinian territories until the implementation of a two-state solution.

The Russian president said next year the two countries will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

"Unfortunately, trade between Russia and Bahrain is at an early stage, but the trends are positive. However, the situation with investment is better: there are about 30 large projects underway, with a total worth of around $500 million," he said.

Meanwhile, cultural cooperation between Russia and Bahrain has been thriving, and other humanitarian contacts are also expanding, primarily in education and science, he said.

Following the meeting, the representatives of the two sides signed seven agreements aimed at boosting cooperation in different domains including healthcare, pharmaceutics and transport.