Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, is preparing for the delivery of Russian weapons.

Bahrain began to examine a rapprochement with Russia in 2012 in wake of U.S. weapons sanctions over its crackdown on a Shi’ite uprising for which it blamed Iran.

Officials said the two countries were preparing for the export of Russian missiles to the Gulf Cooperation Council kingdom. They said the first deliveries of the Kornet-EM mobile anti-tank guided missile system could take place over the next year.

Officials said Bahrain was moving closer to Russia amid rising tension with Iran. They said Bahrain and Russia were discussing cooperation in tourism, media, investment and diplomacy.

“We are confident that bilateral cooperation will develop,” Bahraini government spokeswoman Sameera Rajab said.

The Kornet deal was signed in mid-2014 in what marked the first major weapons program between Manama and Moscow. The two countries also agreed to Russian training of Bahrain’s military.

Britain and other European Union members have blocked security exports amid the Shi’ite revolt against Manama.

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