16 March 2012 - 07:47

Bahrain's Foreign Ministry on Thursday evening announced the shut-down of its embassy in Damascus in what could be seen as part of the Gulf state's pressure against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - "Bahrain has decided to shut down its embassy in Damascus and withdraw all its diplomatic staff due to the worsening security condition", the ministry announced.

 In a statement, the ministry called upon Bahraini citizens in Syria to leave the unrest-torn country immediately.

 It also urged Bahrainis to contact the Kingdom's embassy in Amman, capital of Jordan, for emergency.

 However, it is still not clear whether the Syrian ambassador to Bahrain has been called back in turn.

 In February, Bahraini lawmakers called for the expulsion of the Syrian ambassador for the country's alleged crackdown against anti- government protesters.

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