Iranian Foreign Minister travels to China, set to hold talks with counterpart Wang Yi

Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi will arrive in China later on Tuesday as part of Tehran’s ongoing diplomatic consultations with various nations, local media reported.

During his visit, Araghchi is scheduled to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, where both ministers will discuss bilateral ties, regional and international developments, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.

Araghchi’s visit to Beijing comes a few days after he had travelled to Pakistan, Oman and Russia.

On April 27, Araghchi called on Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg as the Kremlin reiterated its support for bringing peace in the Middle East, local media reported.

“For our part, we will do everything that serves your interests, the interests of all the peoples of the region, to ensure that this peace is achieved as quickly as possible. You know our position well,” Russia’s Tass news agency quoted Putin as saying during the meeting with the visiting Iranian minister.

During the meeting, Araghchi conveyed wishes of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to Putin. He mentioned that people of Iran, through their courage, were able to resist “US aggression”. He expressed gratitude to Putin and Russia for their support to Iran and stated that the ties between Iran and Russia share a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will develop “regardless of everything that happens,” Tass reported.

Araghchi arrived in Russia after concluding his visit to Oman. During his visit to Muscat, Araghchi met Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and briefed him about Iran’s stance on the latest developments in West Asia after the joint Israel-US strikes against Iran. He expressed appreciation for Oman’s support for dialogue and promoting efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability in the region, especially considering the current regional challenges, Iran’s Press TV reported.

Sultan Haitham highlighted Oman’s stance on advancing mediation efforts that would increase the chances of reaching sustainable political solutions and mitigate the impact of crises on the people of the region. He stressed the importance of using dialogue and diplomacy to resolve issues.

Iran and the US reached a two-week ceasefire starting on April 8. Later, the two nations held the first round of talks on April 11-12 aimed at ending the conflict. However, the talks collapsed after 21 hours of negotiations.

IANS