Iran, Qatar eye closer ties, call for regional cooperation

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri and his Qatari counterpart Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi on Tuesday called for closer regional cooperation.

This came in a meeting held in the Iranian capital Tehran within the framework of the political consultative committee between the two Gulf neighbors aimed at bolstering bilateral ties and regional coordination.

Bagheri said regional countries can come together to foster security in their neighborhood through political cooperation and economic convergence, a government statement noted.

He added that national interests of Iran and other regional countries were "not contradictory" and that interaction with neighbors was Iran's “strategic policy".

The visiting Qatari diplomat, for his part, asserted that bilateral cooperation and regional political consultations were key to achieving peace and stability in the region, the statement added.
Hammadi underlined the importance of boosting interaction to remove problems and facilitate cooperation between the two countries.

Following the meeting, the document of the first meeting of the political consultative committee was signed by the two diplomats.

The Qatari official also held talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, during which the top Iranian diplomat underscored the need to implement bilateral agreements signed during President Ebrahim Raisi’s recent visit to Qatar.

Iran and Qatar have expanded bilateral cooperation in recent years.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is set to visit Iran in the coming days to discuss bilateral and regional issues, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday.

According to reports, the issue of the stalemate in the Vienna nuclear talks and the release of Iran's frozen funds abroad will be discussed between the two sides during the emir’s visit.

Following his visit to Tehran, the Qatari ruler will be traveling to Germany, Britain, and other European states, fueling speculation that he could be seeking an end to the deadlock in efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

Raisi is also expected to pay an official visit to Qatar later this month.

Pertinently, Iran and Qatar have recently entered into agreements that will see thousands of football fans visit Iran's Persian Gulf Island of Kish during the FIFA World Cup to be hosted by Qatar later this year.

The two countries have planned to operate around 400 direct weekly flights during the marquee event.