Iranian, Qatari FMs Discuss Expansion of Ties

TEHRAN - Iranian and Qatari foreign ministers have discussed further expansion of relations between the two countries in New York ahead of the 77th United Nations General Assembly session.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in a tweet that he was pleased to discuss bilateral ties as well as the fate of Iran’s talks with the West over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with his Iranian counterpart Hussein Amir-Abdollahian.
“Pleased to meet HE Dr. @Amirabdolahian, Foreign Minister of #Iran, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations & the latest developments in the negotiations to return to the Joint Action Plan with the U.S. Looking forward to our cooperative efforts in this regard. #UNGA77,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said experts from Tehran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA – Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and Germany – may convene a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the forthcoming 77th UNGA session, to discuss the removal of Washington’s anti-Iran sanctions.
Nasser Kan’ani made the remarks during a press briefing in the capital Tehran when asked to comment on President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to New York and the fact that Iran’s top negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani is accompanying the Iranian delegation.
“While no plan has been defined for the sanctions removal talks, international meetings and marginal negotiations among officials from participating countries always provide a favorable opportunity for the exchange of

viewpoints on issues of common interest, as well as regional, multilateral and international developments,” he said.

“I do not rule out the possibility that there could be nuclear-oriented and sanctions removal negotiations on the sidelines of the meetings … Iran has never left the negotiating table and considers negotiations a proper, logical and reasonable way to resolving disputes,” Kan’ani said.

He added that Iran will use every opportunity to express its constructive and logical views, and that the UN General Assembly session is among the available chances.

The United States, under former president Donald Trump, abandoned the Iran deal in May 2018 and reinstated unilateral sanctions that the agreement had lifted.

The talks to salvage the agreement kicked off in the Austrian capital city of Vienna in April last year, months after Joe Biden succeeded Trump, with the intention of examining Washington’s seriousness in rejoining the deal and removing anti-Iran sanctions.

Despite notable progress, the U.S. indecisiveness and procrastination caused multiple interruptions in the marathon talks.

Amir-Abdollahian also met separately with his counterparts from South Korea and Lebanon, discussing issues of mutual interest.

In the meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin in New York on Monday, Amir-Abdollahian held talks about a host of topics, including ways to boost bilateral relations between Tehran and Seoul in diverse fields.

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Iranian, Qatari FMs Discuss Expansion of Ties