TEHRAN - Gulf neighbours Bahrain and Iran said on Friday they will maintain "good" relations, indicating that the diplomatic row that erupted between them last week was over.
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa, during a visit to Tehran, said after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki that the kingdom will continue "good neighbourly" relations with Iran.
In a short statement broadcast by Iran's Arabic-language Al-Aalam television, the two men indicated that the diplomatic row was over.
Sheikh Khaled said he had a letter from King Hamad that was a message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from a "brother to a brother."
"It is a goodwill letter which shows mutual respect between the two countries. This letter responds to all ill-wishers who wanted to hurt the deep relations between the two countries," he told reporters.
Last week, Bahrain strongly protested after Ali Akbar Nateq Nuri, a prominent member of Iran's powerful Expediency Council, was reported to have said the kingdom used to be Iran's 14th province.
That triggered widespread condemnation in Bahrain as well as from neighbouring Gulf monarchies and Arab leaders in general.
Iran moved to defuse the spat, which threatened a major gas deal between the two nations.
Earlier this week, Iranian Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli visited Bahrain and delivered a message from Ahmadinejad to express Tehran's respect towards the sovereignty of the tiny kingdom.
"What we heard in the past week hurt us both," Sheikh Khaled said, while adding that Manama "appreciated the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Mottaki said Iran's policy has been "to consolidate and deepen relations with all nations in the Persian Gulf, especially Bahrain."
He said Bahrain and Iran had chosen to "maintain brotherly and friendly relations."
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