Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdollahian in Doha on Tuesday on the latest developments in the region.
Doha is the second leg of the Iranian minister’s first Gulf tour since he took office last August.
According to Iranian media, Tehran is seeking to restore channels of communication with the US administration regarding its nuclear file.
Speaking to reporters, Abdollahian said that his talks in Qatar touched on the ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna, the lifting of sanctions and joint investment in various fields.
“The Omanis still have sincere intentions for the [nuclear] talks to achieve a lasting result and continue their diplomatic efforts to help the [negotiators] reach a good agreement,” he stated.
The Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that Sheikh Tamim received Abdollahian and his accompanying delegation on Tuesday morning at the Emir Diwan, where the talks touched on bilateral relations and regional developments. The foreign minister also met with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
In remarks on Twitter, the Qatari minister said: “The State of Qatar believes in the effectiveness of negotiation and constructive dialogue, and that regional relations should be based on the principles of good neighborliness and mutual respect.”
During his talks with Sheikh Tamim, Abdollahian touched on “the latest developments in the Vienna nuclear talks, and other regional files,” Iran's state-run ISNA news agency reported.
“There are opportunities in Qatar, including the organization of the World Cup, which was discussed in the past, and the possibility of benefiting in this context from Iran’s capabilities in the field of technical and engineering services,” the senior Iranian diplomat told journalists in Doha.
On Monday, Abdollahian held talks in Muscat - in his first visit to a Gulf country since taking office – where he met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, and Deputy Sultan of Oman Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said.
The visit came at a time when the eighth round of the Vienna negotiations, between the international community and Tehran, faced some obstacles, especially with regards to the “guarantees” required by Iran, in return for the US’ conditions for lifting sanctions.
Tehran is seeking to initiate communication with the US administration through mediators, in particular Oman and Qatar.
In this context, Iranian media quoted Abdollahian as saying upon his arrival in Doha that he had held consultations on nuclear negotiations with Omani officials, noting that the Omanis would maintain their diplomatic efforts to reach “a good agreement.”
“The Omanis played a role in concluding negotiations in the form of the JCPOA both at the multilateral level and in relation to some Western parties,” he noted, referring to the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He went on to say that talks in Muscat also touched on economic relations, including the resumption of the movement of commercial boats between the two countries and joint investments.
