FM renews proposal for Persian Gulf dialogue forum 

June 21, 2023 - 23:33

TEHRAN- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian visited Kuwait on Wednesday afternoon after concluding his trip to Oman.

Amir Abdollahian had already visited Qatar and Oman and discussed issues of mutual interest with the officials of the two countries.

During his tour to Kuwait, Iran’s top diplomat held talks with a number of Kuwaiti officials including Prime Minister Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Al Sabah, and members of Iran-Kuwait friendship association.

Bilateral talks and sharing views on important regional and international issues were among the most important topics of Amir Abdollahian’s talks in Kuwait.

In his talks with the Kuwaiti prime minister, Amir Abdollahian called ties between Iran and Kuwait “historical”.

Pointing to the sitting Iranian government’s foreign policy priority in developing ties with neighbors, he said, “We will seriously try to realize this goal because we believe that our neighbors, especially Persian Gulf neighbors, have great potential and affinities for cooperation.”
  
He also said in addition to cooperation in the areas of transportation, economy and commerce, political and security consultations is “absolutely necessary”.

Amir Abdollahian added, “We have proposed the formation of a regional forum for dialogue and cooperation between northern and southern countries of the Persian Gulf and if it is established, it can greatly reinforce integration between the countries.” 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said on Wednesday that the reason for the foreign minister’s trip to Qatar, Oman and Kuwait is to pursue the implementation of cooperation documents with these countries.


Iran and Oman highlight the need to establish long-term peace in Yemen 

Before his arrival to Kuwait, Amir Abdollahian held talks with top Omani officials. 

Amir Abdollahian and his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi discussed a wide range of topics, including the implementation of the agreements signed during the Sultan of Oman’s recent visit to Tehran as well as the promotion of cooperation between the two nations in the banking, communication, and technology sectors, as well as the consular, judicial, and customs affairs.

Additionally, the Iranian foreign minister spoke with Sultan bin Mohammed al Numani, the royal office minister of Oman.

The two ministers talked about the current events in the region, notably in Yemen. 

Both of them highlighted the necessity of teamwork to alleviate Yemeni people’s suffering and support political processes, stability, and long-term peace.

========Ansarullah lauds Iran’s efforts to end Yemen’s suffering

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, head of Yemen’s national negotiating delegation, also met with Amir Abdollahian at the Iranian embassy in Muscat on Tuesday.

Abdul-Salam appreciated Iran’s sincere support for Yemen and its efforts to put an end to the suffering of the Yemeni nation in the face of the Saudi-led war, Press TV reported.

The high-ranking Ansarullah official also briefed the Iranian foreign minister on the unfolding developments in his country, negotiations with the Saudi government, cooperation with the United Nations, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis there.

For his part, Amir Abdollahian praised the great Yemeni nation for their steadfastness and resilience, voicing Tehran’s support for any measure that would put an end to Yemen’s eight-year conflict.

Amir Abdollahian, who started a tour of neighboring Arab states on Tuesday morning, first visited Doha, Qatar. 

He held talks with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who is also Qatar’s prime minister.

Iran’s top diplomat traveled with an entourage that included the foreign minister’s aides, foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, and an MP sitting on the Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.

Amir Abdollahian also exchanged views with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The authorities from Iran and Qatar discussed topics of common interest on bilateral, regional, and global levels.

Amir Abdollahian emphasized Tehran’s readiness for joint cooperation with Qatar to develop relations in various areas and speed up the implementation of the past agreements in economic and commercial fields.

Expressing his satisfaction with the excellent political relations between the two countries, the chief diplomat said it is necessary to increase and improve economic, commercial and cultural relations between the two countries along with the political ones.

He also called for the promotion of dialogue and cooperation between the eight countries bordering the Persian Gulf (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia) in order to create a collective mechanism with the aim of securing the common interests and security of the countries.

Amir Abdollahian appreciated Qatar's efforts and initiatives in helping to resolve regional issues and problems and emphasized Iran's continued support for Qatar's constructive actions in this direction.

The Iranian foreign minister said in a tweet that his trips to Qatar and Oman are intended to develop ties with the two Arab nations and carry out agreements reached by high-ranking officials from the three nations.

He pointed out the enormous economic, commercial, and political potential enjoyed by Iran’s neighbors.

Amir Abdollahian stated that one of the fundamental tenets of the Iranian administration’s foreign policy is the continued expansion of all-out connections with neighbors.

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