EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas sharia-adapted her greeting when she met Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva on Friday.
Pictures from the meeting show how Kaja Kallas submits to Islamic rules by placing her hand over her heart instead of shaking hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The gesture follows Islamic traditions where men should not shake hands with women.
The other European foreign ministers – Britain’s David Lammy, France’s Jean-Noël Barrot and Germany’s Johann Wadephul – however shook hands with Araghchi in the traditional manner.
Wanted to stop escalation
The meeting in Geneva was part of European efforts to get Iran to accept talks with the US about limiting the country’s nuclear activities.
”A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,” writes British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on social media after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday.
Lammy emphasized the importance of stopping the ”grave developments in the Middle East and preventing a regional escalation that would benefit no one”.
The European ministers had a preparatory meeting around noon before the larger meeting with Araghchi in the afternoon.
Iran refuses to meet USA
Despite European pressure, Iran proved dismissive of direct talks with the Americans.
Araghchi announced on Friday that Tehran would not meet with the US for talks as long as Iran was still being attacked. At the same time, he claimed that Iran remains committed to diplomacy.
The meeting took place against the background of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, where Israel continues to eliminate high-ranking military officers inside Iran.
Not the first time
This is not the first time female EU politicians have come under fire for submitting to sharia rules. In 2017, Sweden’s then trade minister Ann Linde wore a headscarf during a visit to Iran and greeted with her hand over her heart, something that later sparked strong criticism.
Bulletin is seeking Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard via her press secretary Susan VO Bergqvist for comment.
Bulletin’s questions for Maria Malmer Stenergard:
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas greets Iran’s foreign minister in an Islamic way. What does the foreign minister think about that?
- How will she herself greet representatives of Muslim countries if she meets them?
