U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Qatar to discuss Iran, Syria, and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

The meeting will take place on the sidelines of Kerry's discussions with Gulf Arab foreign ministers on August 2-3, in which he will try to ease Arab concerns about the nuclear deal agreed between world powers and Iran in July.

Kerry arrived in Cairo on August 1 for the first leg of his Middle East tour to discuss the resumption of a U.S.-Egypt strategic dialogue that was suspended in 2009 amid political unrest in Egypt.

Aside from his talks with Kerry, Lavrov will meet with Qatari officials to discuss bilateral relations and international efforts to fight the Islamic State group.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters