Iran, Qatar call for further ties

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi has met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber bin Muhammad Al Thani in Doha, calling for further ties between the two countries.

In the meeting in the Qatari capital on Sunday evening, Rahimi and Al Thani called for deepening and broadening political and cultural interactions between Tehran and Doha, IRNA reported.

The two countries’ officials also discussed the latest regional developments and stressed the need to speed up the implementation of forged agreements and shared projects.

Earlier in the day, Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani welcomed Rahimi upon his arrival in the country on Sunday morning.

The Iranian official then held meetings with Iranian businessmen residing in Qatar and tradesmen and economic activists from the country.

Ahead of his departure for the Qatari capital, Rahimi lauded friendly relations between the two countries, saying the two countries share a common political stance.

“Ties between Iran and Qatar are strong. Tehran and Doha have many political commonalties in the international arena,” he said, adding that Qatar’s influential role on regional issues, including Palestine, has strengthened Tehran-Doha relations.

Rahimi said his visit to Qatar is aimed at implementing trade and economic agreements already signed between the two countries, expressing hope that the realization of previous agreements and removal of visa for businessmen of the two countries would increase bilateral trade and economic exchanges.

Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, along with a delegation of over 150 Iranian cultural officials, also is in Qatar to attend Iran’s Cultural Week in Doha.

The event opened in the Qatari capital on November 4th in a ceremony attended by a host of ranking Iranian and Qatari officials as well as cultural figures and academics.

“Celebrating Iran’s Cultural Week in Qatar can lay the groundwork for broad cooperation in different areas between the two countries,” Hosseini said on the fringes of a ceremony marking the event.