Qatari official: PGCC chief's statement does not reflect views of member states

Tehran, Aug 12, IRNA – Qatari official with Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that anti-Iran statement made by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) secretary general does not reflect views of the member states. The positions of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council are usually issued by the meeting of foreign ministers of member states, and not through the statements of the Secretary-General, which represent the opinion of the General Secretariat, Mutlaq bin Majid al-Qahtani was quoted by Qatari media 'Al Jazeera' as saying. The agreed positions of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council are usually issued by the meeting of foreign ministers of member states, and not through the statements of the Secretary-General, which represent the opinion of the General Secretariat only, he added. "We in Qatar do not see that the current sanctions on Iran lead to positive results and do not contribute to resolving crises, and the resolution of crises must be through dialogue, he noted. "Iran is a neighboring country with which we have good neighborly relations, and it has a position that we value in the State of Qatar, the government and the people, especially during the unjust blockade on Qatar," he said. "While the blockading countries chose unilateral measures, the State of Qatar chose dialogue, and this is our policy always. We look forward to good relations with everyone and everyone," Majid al-Qahtani added. Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi in reaction to the statement of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) to extend the arms embargo on Iran, emphasizing that the council is at the peak of its inefficiency and the statement has been issued unilaterally. Deploring the unconstructive approach of some members of the council towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mousavi said that unfortunately, it seems that the so-called Persian Gulf Cooperation Council has become the spokesperson of some short-sighted people inside the council and outside the region and the council secretariat, influenced by some of its members' destructive policies and behaviors, has become loudspeaker of the anti-Iran figures. By this move, the PGCC has ignored the realities of the region and turned a blind eye to the facts and priorities in this sensitive situation, he reiterated. The PGCC's irresponsible statement was issued unilaterally and dictated by some members of the Council at a time when some of its member do not stop buying and stockpiling weapons even at times of economic hardship, and were among the largest arms buyers in the region and the world. No doubt, the interests of the US are tied to the sale of more weapons to these countries, he said. Killing defenseless people and children in Yemen is one of the concrete examples of the wrong policies of some members of the council, who are being victimized everyday in front of the eyes of the world with all kinds of Western weapons and by the leaders of the entity, Mousavi said.