Zarif in Oman for talks on bilateral ties, regional issues after Qatar, Iraq visits
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has arrived in Oman, after his visits to Qatar and Iraq, to hold talks with the country’s officials.
According to Press TV, Zarif arrived in Muscat on Wednesday afternoon and was welcomed by his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi and Iranian Ambassador Ali Najafi.
The FM is set to sit down with senior Omani officials, including his counterpart, to hold consultations on bilateral and regional issues.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the purpose of Zarif’s visit to Oman is to hold talks on Tehran-Muscat relations and their cooperation on regional issues.
Prior to his visit to Oman, Zarif paid a visit to Qatar, where he met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Aal-e Thani and his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
The Iranian foreign minister discussed the latest developments in Tehran-Doha relations in different fields during his Sunday meeting with Qatar’s emir.
He also explained Iran’s stance with regard to expanding its relations with regional countries.
In his one-day visit to Doha, Zarif also called intra-regional talks aimed at boosting stability in the region a vital necessity during a meeting with his Qatari counterpart, noting that the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy approach is based on the expansion of relations with regional states.
On the second leg of his regional tour, Zarif arrived in Baghdad on Monday, and was welcomed at Baghdad International Airport by Iraqi deputy Foreign Minister Nazar Khairallah, a number of officials in the prime minister’s office, Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad and a number of Iranian diplomats in Iraq.
Zarif held talks with his counterpart Fuad Hussein, during which he called for a bigger role for Iraq in the West Asia, praised the Arab country’s important role in West Asia and expressed Tehran’s hope that Baghdad's role would result in positive developments in the region.
In a meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih on Monday, Zarif stressed Iraq’s influential role in the region while explaining Iran’s viewpoint on regional security, which has been already presented to the world by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani in the form of Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE).
The FM also held separate talks with Head of the Hikma National Movement Ammar al-Hakim and Iraqi National Security Council (INSC) Advisor Qasim al-Araji.
Zarif also held talks with officials from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region on a range of issues on Tuesday on the second day of his visit to neighboring Iraq.
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