He admired Iran’s foreign minister and said Zarif had fought hard for his nation’s benefits during the nuclear talks that finally led to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“I want to make it clear that Javad is a very tough, very capable negotiator, a patriot all the time, who fought hard for his nation’s interests, while always trying to find a constructive way to solve the problems that we both understood were huge obstacles for both of our countries, for both of our people, for our politics, and the divisions that exist at home for each of us, “he underscored in ceremony held to grant Chatham House prize.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was a co-recipient of the prize awarded by the prominent think tank Chatham House, but he could not attend the ceremony due to tight schedule.Chatham House director Robin Niblett said it planned to present the prize to Zarif at another time in the near future, according to ISNA.
Kerry said he was sorry Zarif could not attend, and that the two had tried to coordinate schedules.