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QNA
Rome
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani said that the ongoing talks on the Gulf crisis had resulted in progress.
“We moved from an impasse in the Gulf crisis to talks about a future vision regarding the relationship with Saudi Arabia,” Sheikh Mohammed said during a session at the Mediterranean Dialogues Forum in Rome.
“We need to restore stability in our region, and we believe that dialogue will be the ultimate solution... The current tension is not in favour of any one,” he said.
Responding to a question on Iran and the probability of downgrading the ties with it, the FM said, “First of all we have to acknowledge that Iran is our neighbour and we look at it differently than countries in the West or the US. We will remain having relations of good neighbourhood with them.”
He said that Qatar and Iran share a border and a gas field.
“When the blockade took place, Iran opened its air space and the Qatari people are very thankful for this move,” he said.
On whether Qatar would change its policy towards Iran in the case GCC relations are restored, he said, “We do not see any correlation between the two steps. Qatar has always had independent foreign policy, and this foreign policy will remain independent. Our internal and external affairs will not be subject for negotiations.”
He went on saying: “We understand if there are some concerns ... we are willing to address and discuss these concerns, but we are not going to talk about what we should do or do not ... No sovereign country would accept this.” He said one day the entire region needs to talk with Iran.
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08/12/2019
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