Iran’s foreign minister arrives in Kuwait on 1st day of Mideast tour
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has arrived in Kuwait on the first leg of a three-nation tour that will also take him to Qatar and Iraq.
Zarif left Tehran for Kuwait City on Sunday on the first round of his tour of neighboring and Persian Gulf states after the conclusion of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries.
He is set to hold talks with senior Kuwaiti, Qatari and Iraqi officials on ways to improve bilateral, regional and international cooperation and to take effective approaches toward the battle against terrorism.
The Iranian minister is also scheduled to brief the three countries’ officials on the recent nuclear conclusion reached between Iran and the six world powers in the Austrian capital of Vienna.
Iran and the P5+1 countries – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany – finalized the text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna on July 14, after 18 days of intense negotiations and all-nighters that capped around 23 months of talks between Iran and the six countries.
On July 20, the UN Security Council unanimously endorsed a draft resolution upholding the JCPOA. All 15 members of the body voted for the UN resolution in New York, setting the stage for the lifting of the Security Council sanctions against Iran.
During his stay in Kuwait, Zarif will hold talks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Foreign Minister Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
The top Iranian diplomat will then pay a short visit to Doha and hold discussions with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah about further expansion of mutual relations.
Importance of regional security
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Sunday that Tehran attaches importance to security of regional countries.
“Fight against extremism and violence as well as strengthening regional ties are a fundamental necessity to achieve sustainable development and security in the region,” Amir-Abdollahian told IRIB ahead of Zarif’s trip.
He emphasized that terrorists should not be allowed to undermine regional security. The Iranian official added that the Iranian minister’s visit carries the message of friendship to regional countries.