Mogherini: EU seeks strong ties with GCC, Iran

BRUSSELS, Feb 6 (KUNA) -- EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said Saturday that she is working to intensify and develop closer ties with both the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Iran and trying to contain tensions in the region.
"We open relations with Iran and we work on ways to intensify them, in parallel we are doing exactly the same with our friends in the Gulf. We don't see this as an either or, but and and," she told a press conference after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Amsterdam.
"Good relations, strong relations both with the countries of the Gulf, the GCC with Saudi Arabia in particular and also with Iran which I believe will be productive for both and for all," she said.
The six-member GCC groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
Mogherini said in their meeting, late on Friday, the ministers had "very good discussion on Iran and the way forward." They further discussed "the role the European Union can play, it is playing and continue to play in order to try to contain tensions on the region and try to channel energies in a positive rather than in a disruptive direction." "This is extremely relevant for our work in Syria, but also for the stability of other countries like Iraq, Lebanon or the conflict in Yemen that the EU has a leverage and a role that is recognised not only by Iran but also by and with other relevant powers in the region starting from the Gulf countries to try to pass a message of wisdom and de-escalation and cooperation as much as possible," said the EU foreign policy chief.
Mogherini announced that she will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during his visit to Brussels on 15 and 16 February and that she is also preparing an "important visit" to Tehran accompanied by other EU Commissioners sometime this year.
She also announced that the Lebanese foreign minister has been invited to meet the EU foreign ministers during their monthly meeting in Brussels on 15 February to discuss regional issues and the Syrian crisis.
On his part, Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders, whose country holds the current EU Presidency, told the joint press conference that after implementation of the deal with Iran "and after the diplomatic victory of last year we discussed exactly what it means for European terms of its economic engagement in the region to ensure that Iran can play the most productive role also in the region of setting and of course also issues related to human rights and political developments in Iran." Mogherini said the EU foreign ministers held a "very substantial discussion on migration" in their meeting today with EU candidate countries Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.
"Either we find common solutions or don't find solutions at all. We need to implement all parts of decisions taken last year," to deal with the migrant crisis, she added. (end) nk.mt