The Swiss Foreign Minister, Ignazio Cassis, met this Friday with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al Thani, at the Swiss complex of Bürgenstock, the same venue that was set to host the first meeting between the delegations of the United States and Iran to launch the implementation of the memorandum of understanding.
Although the Swiss Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the meeting has been "postponed", Cassis received his Qatari counterpart without any meeting between US and Iranian representatives having been announced for the coming days, even though both countries are responsible for facilitating contacts between Washington and Tehran in this new negotiation phase, which has a 60-day window to close a definitive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.
"During the meeting, cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and strengthen them were reviewed, and the latest regional developments were discussed, particularly the diplomatic efforts deployed to promote security and stability in the region, following the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran," the Qatari Foreign Ministry indicated in a note disseminated on social media.
In this way, Al Thani has pointed out the "full support" for the start of negotiations between the parties to reach "sustainable solutions to pending issues through dialogue and peaceful means."
This should benefit regional security and contribute to opening "new horizons for cooperation, development, and prosperity," he added.
After the cancellation of the meeting between Iran and the United States was made public, the Swiss authorities have stressed that, even so, "the relevant preparatory work in Bürgenstock continues."
The contacts were also to include the participation of Pakistan and Qatar and had been redirected to a format of technical talks between the negotiating teams, ruling out a formal signing ceremony, after the agreement was signed separately by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian.
This very Friday, Trump has advanced that Washington will let the 60 days run out to negotiate with Iran, after the signing of the preliminary agreement for the cessation of hostilities and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and that it will play on Tehran's "desperation," so everything indicates that the planned meetings in Switzerland will finally not take place these days.