Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari has said that Qatar continues its meetings and exchange of messages between the US and Iran to build common ground that brings their positions closer and leads to a peaceful solution.
He reaffirmed continuation of Qatar’s mediating role between the two parties and its support for efforts aimed at de-escalation and restoring full freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The past few days have seen a number of meetings and exchanges of messages between the parties, some taking place in New York during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, and others occurring prior to that... efforts to hold meetings and facilitate the exchange of messages between the parties are ongoing.”
“Qatar condemns the targeting of infrastructure, energy facilities and vessels, as it represents a threat to the interests of peoples and a violation of the principles of international law and good-neighbourliness,” Al Ansari said while addressing MoFA’s weekly media briefing yesterday.
He emphasized the necessity of respecting infrastructure and facilities amidst any regional escalation, noting that any threat to them constitutes a violation of the principles of international law and the principle of good-neighborly relations in the region.
He said that the continuation of the crisis and instability in the region affects energy, food and industrial supplies, and increases pressures on the global economy.
To a question about the possibility of reaching non-aggression agreements between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Iran, Dr. Al Ansari said that the countries of the region did not choose to be part of this war.
“There is no conflict between the countries of the region and Iran.... it was Iran that decided to strike countries in the region as a result of the war that erupted between it, Israel, and the United States.”
Al Ansari urged Iranian officials to decide to distance themselves and the region from this war, emphasizing that what occurred constitutes an aggression against the countries of the region, nations that are sovereign states.
“The GCC states, as well as other countries in the region, have long expressed the need for a solution based on dialogue... Qatar seeks to achieve peaceful coexistence between the region’s nations and Iran and is currently engaged in negotiations, despite having been subjected to a missile attack by Iran, without wavering from its position that the only solution to this crisis lies in dialogue.”
He emphasized the need to establish a security framework based on coexistence, non-aggression, and good-neighbourly relations, noting that the first step in this regard is for the region’s states to acknowledge that they will not be targeted in any future escalation.
Dr. Al Ansari also specifically warned against developments in the West Bank, saying that there is an attempt to impose a new reality there that contradicts the international consensus established since the Oslo Accords, a matter that cannot be ignored.
He commended the decisions of countries that imposed sanctions and took measures against settlement activity in the West Bank, stressing the need to redouble efforts to halt Israeli violations, particularly those involving changes to the status quo in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
