Qatari Foreign Minister's visit to Tehran a few days after meeting with the US
Qatar's foreign minister arrived in Tehran on an unannounced visit, meeting with incoming president Ebrahim Raisi and Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The trip came a few days after his visit to Washington.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, arrived in Tehran on Sunday, July 25, on an unannounced visit, a few days after traveling to the United States.
During this trip, Al Thani met and talked with Ebrahim Raisi, the future president of Iran.
According to IRNA, Raisi said in the meeting: "Tehran attaches special importance to relations with Doha, and the foreign policy priority of the future government will be its neighbors."
He assured the Qatari diplomat that Iran is “benevolent towards its neighbors.”
The Qatari Foreign Minister also said: "Qatar seeks cooperation to strengthen bilateral relations and also strives to ensure regional security in cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran."
The Qatari Foreign Minister held talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif before meeting with the president. According to the website of the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides exchanged views on "the latest developments in bilateral relations and important regional and international issues."
A few days before this meeting on July 22, the Qatari Foreign Minister met and held talks with his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken, in Washington.
Blinken had said: "Qatar is a vital partner for the United States in many areas, and Washington appreciates Qatar's role in the Afghan peace talks and the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel."
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the US-based Al-Hurrah TV channel that he discussed with Blinken in Washington the situation in Afghanistan, developments in the Iran nuclear deal, Lebanon and Iraq, as well as the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Bloomberg News has assessed the Qatari Foreign Minister's visit to Iran as an attempt at possible mediation to improve relations between Iran and its neighbors.
Six months ago, Qatar's Foreign Minister said in an interview with this news agency that his country was ready to mediate to end the deep differences between Iran and some of its neighbors in the region.
Source: DW
