Manama - Russia and Turkey on Thursday came out in support of Bahrain, in face of renewed Iranian claims that the Gulf island was an historical province of Iran.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan both expressed their countries' support for Manama in separate press conferences with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al Khalifa at the Bahraini foreign ministry.

"It's important to accept the international legitimacy and sovereignty of all countries and refrain from questioning and harming them," Lavrov said when asked about his country's stance on Iran's recent claims.

An hour earlier, Babacan said Turkey fully supports Bahrain and would not accept any questioning of its sovereignty. "The sovereignty of Bahrain and its safety is not something to be questioned. It's sovereignty must be respected," he said.

Sheikh Khaled, who confirmed that negotiations over reaching an agreement to supply the Gulf kingdom with Iranian gas had been halted, for his part pointed out that it was no longer acceptable for Iranian officials to continue to make statements questioning Bahrain's sovereignty.

"We do not want to confront Iran or cause it any harm, we want good relations with them," he said.

Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak have expressed support for Bahrain.

United Arab Emirates, one of five other Gulf states alongside Bahrain in the Gulf Cooperation Council, meanwhile strongly condemned Iran's 'hostile statements' against Bahrain.

Last week, Ali Akbar Nateq Noori, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly claimed that Bahrain was Iran's 14th province.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi on Wednesday said Tehran respects Bahrain's independence and had no territorial claim toward it. (dpa)