MANAMA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Bahrain said on Thursday that the reason for summoning the Iraqi Charge d'Affaires Muayyad Omar Abdul Rahman was not related to commercial transport arrangements between the two countries, Bahrain News Agency reported.
Mohammad Isa Al-Abbasi, the spokesperson of the National Communication Center, said that the diplomat was summoned and handed an official letter of protest based on his repeated violations of diplomatic norms and not for commercial transport arrangements between the two countries.
The Iraqi Charge d'Affaires was summoned on Tuesday for what Bahrain Foreign Ministry described as "repeated violations of diplomatic norms" without specifying the exact violations.
Later in the day, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the return of Abdul Rahman to the ministry's headquarters in Baghdad over a request by Bahrain.
On Wednesday, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani received a phone call from his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein.
The call stressed the solid, longstanding Bahraini-Iraqi relations and emphasized mutual respect and understanding and mutual interests, Bahrain News Agency reported.
It also affirmed the keenness of the two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields. ■
