Bahrain officially recognized on Tuesday the Libyan rebels' National Transitional Council (NTC) as the "only legitimate representative" of the Libyan people, the official news agency BNA reported on Sunday.

"Bahrain hopes Libya will achieve prosperity, progress and stability," BNA cited a foreign ministry statement, adding that Tuesday's decision was taken based on solidarity and brotherly links between the two countries.

Bahrain was the fourth country in the Gulf region to recognize the council after Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.