MANAMA — Two Bahraini Coast Guard boats participating in Al Mani Maritime Exercise in North Fasht Al Dibal were stopped by three Qatar Coast Guards and Border Security patrols.

The boats were stopped on their way back from their mission at 1 p.m. local time in an area where they are entitled to carry out an intense pursuit, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Wednesday carried by the Bahrain News Agency.

The act is inconsistent with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) security agreement and with the treaties and conventions related to the International Law of the Sea.

The two boats resumed their movement afterward, the statement added.

The ministry said that it would inform the Secretariat General of the GCC about the incident and expressed hope that such incidents that violate international treaties and conventions would not be reiterated. — SG