Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain's foreign ministry has summoned Iraq's Chargé d'Affaires Moayad Omar Abdul Rahman for breaching diplomatic norms, the Bahrain state news agency said on Tuesday.

State media also reported that Rahman was handed an official note of protest for "(his) interference in the Kingdom's internal affairs," without providing further details.

A few hours after the statement was released, the Iraqi foreign ministry said it was returning Abdul Rahman to Baghdad where he will be stationed at the foreign ministry headquarters.

 "The reason behind this decision is to boost the legacy of the Iraqi diplomacy and to conserve diplomatic norms" an official spokesperson for the Iraqi government said.

For his part, Abdul Rahman published a clarification regarding his recent summons by the Bahraini Foreign Ministry and the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

Abdul Rahman wrote in a WhatsApp group that includes politicians, media people and academics called "Iraqi Elite for Dialogue": "For a year, we have been working in coordination with the Bahraini Ministry of Transportation on the operation of the flight line between the two countries, and Iraqi officials have confirmed that all documents and requirements have been completed."

"The King of Bahrain and the Crown Prince invite ambassadors and heads of missions to an iftar, and I met the prime minister there and he was accompanied by the Bahraini foreign minister and I talked with him about opening lines between the two countries," he said.

"I then found that there was a protest note against me because I spoke to the crown prince and I was supposed to talk to the minister."

The Iraqi charge d'affaires continued: "I was surprised by what happened, in Iraq all diplomats meet the head of state and he meet all their requirements." 

In April 2019, Manama summoned the charge d'affaires of the Iraqi embassy, Nihad Al-Askar, in protest against a statement issued by the Iraqi leader, Muqtada Al-Sadr, which Bahrain considered "a blatant and unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain and violates the principles of international law." The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected these accusations at that time.

In July 2019, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry summoned its ambassador to Iraq, Salah Al-Maliki, for consultations over the storming of the embassy building in the capital, Baghdad, by Iraqi protesters over Manama's hosting a conference on discussing peace in the Middle East.

The representation of Iraq and Bahrain currently stands at the level of chargé d'affaires.

Arabic Version