Bahrain has been in political turmoil for a year. The 2011 Bahrain GP was canceled because of a wave of anti-government protests and punishing government crackdowns.

Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al-Khalifa told The Associated Press that Bahrain was safe. He said the country was ready to stage the F1 race the Gulf island nation has been hosting since 2004.

“The country has moved on and we are on the path of reconciliation,” Salman said in a phone interview. A “global event with so much exposure” will benefit Bahrain economically and politically, he added.

“There will be so much good with Formula One back in Bahrain. I am confident that all measures will be taken to ensure the safety of the teams and fans.”

He added no additional security measures will be in place for the race on April 22 despite the ongoing political strife in Bahrain.

“To be honest, every year the standard of security is high, not just in the Formula One race, but for any sporting event like this,” Salman said. “Our country has always handled well events of this nature.”

Last week, F1 world champions Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher backed the decision to go ahead with the Bahrain GP despite opposition to the race and almost daily street confrontations between security forces and opposition supporters.

Formula One remains committed to staging next month’s Bahrain GP. Ecclestone has repeatedly said the race will go ahead.

“There are always people threatening. I don’t believe the (organizers) would take a risk if they thought there was a risk. Let’s see,” he was quoted as saying in England’s Daily Telegraph this month.