In his speech, Obama referred to “sectarian tensions that continue to surface in places like Iraq, Syria and Bahrain.” However, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, the foreign minister, rejected the reference. “The climate in the country today bares no equivalence to the sectarian conflicts occurring in Syria and Iraq,” Shaikh Khalid said. “What is occurring in Bahrain today is a concerted effort by terrorist extremist groups to target security personnel and expatriates with the intent of spreading fear and division within Bahrain’s society, as well as targeting Bahrain’s national economy and development.