TEHRAN – Iranian President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi held meetings with a number of foreign officials participating in a gas summit in the Qatari capital Doha.

Ayatollah Raisi met with Qatari Prime Minister Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani.

In the meeting, the Iranian president described the relations between the two countries as very deep and based on the religious and heartfelt closeness of the two nations, according to the official website of the Iranian presidency.

Raisi said, "There are good relations and interaction between the two nations in political, economic and social fields, but this level of relations is not commensurate with the existing capacities in the two countries."

Noting that good relations between the two countries can lead to constructive regional and international relations, the president added, "The existing capacities in Iran and Qatar, especially the huge capacities that exist in Iran, have not been used appropriately to expand relations between the two countries."

Proposing the establishment of an Iranian business center in Qatar to introduce Iran's capabilities to Qatari economic and commercial actors, Raisi said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran today has made great achievements in various fields of production, industry, technology, nanotechnology and biotechnology and knowledge-based activities that can be used to improve the level of bilateral interactions."

Referring to the activities of six Iranian companies in the field of COVID-19 vaccine, of which four have succeeded in producing the vaccine completely independently, the president stated, "Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran has trained a large number of educated youth who have very good abilities in technical and engineering fields, and this capacity can be a basis for expanding cooperation between the two countries."

Ayatollah Raisi stressed, "Iran has succeeded in neutralizing the imposed sanctions in spite of widespread sanctions and threats, and has achieved great progress despite the wishes of the enemies, in a way that the Americans recently officially declared that the policy of maximum pressure has failed."

Referring to the hosting of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Raisi said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for any cooperation to hold this event as well as possible by Qatar."

Raisi added, "In this trip, good agreements have been reached to expand the relations between the two countries and I have instructed my ministers to follow them differently from the past so that we can see the results in the field of implementation and improvement of the relations between the two countries."

The Prime Minister of Qatar, Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, described the visit of Ayatollah Raisi to Doha as historic and said, "There are great potentials and horizons for expanding relations between the two countries and holding regular meetings of the Joint Economic Cooperation Commission plays an effective role in the realization of these capacities."

The prime minister also referred to the great interest of the Iranian and Qatari people in football, and congratulated Iran’s national football team for qualifying for the 2022 World Cup and said, "Sport is one of the best ways to strengthen nations' interactions beyond the quality of political relations between governments."

‘Standing up to hegemony biggest asset of Iran and Venezuela’

The Iranian president also met with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia.

The Iranian president said that "countries like Venezuela and Iran have assets more important than oil and gas, which is the people who have decided to resist the extravagance, and this is the greatest asset of our countries."

He pointed out that "the relationship between countries like Iran and Venezuela is a strategic one, which should be seriously pursued, and the agreements between the two countries should be implemented as soon as possible."

"One example of this is Venezuela, which has overcome sanctions despite intense pressure, but with the support of the people through resistance, today we see that the situation in this country is improving."

The president said that Iran plans to expand cooperation and interaction with Venezuela in various fields, adding, "We are ready to be with the people of Venezuela in changing the economic situation for the benefit of the people."

"The countries of the Latin American region are a great example of the certainty of the victory of the resistance of nations against the hegemony of world powers," said Raisi.

Ayatollah Raisi stressed, "The relationship between our countries is a strategic relationship that must be pursued seriously and the agreements between the two countries should be implemented as soon as possible."

The president noted that relations with Latin American countries in his administration are different and far better than before to reach new horizons of cooperation.

Ayatollah Raisi attributed the continuous improvement of Venezuela's economic situation to the efforts and resistance of the Venezuelan people and said, "The United States thought that Latin America would be the backyard of its extravagances, but today, contrary to expectations, the region has become one of the biggest obstacles to U.S. hegemony."

For his part, Plasencia said that his country was strongly committed to the fight against U.S. imperialism.

"The United States wants all countries to succumb to its wishes, but the Venezuelan nation has stood against its extravagance and will not let the U.S. prevent Venezuela from playing a leading role in the freedom-seeking of the nations of the Latin American region," he pointed out.

The Venezuelan foreign minister stressed his country's interest in strengthening relations with Iran.

In this ceremony, a memorandum of understanding on technology transfer and cooperation in the field of oil and gas between Iran and Venezuela was signed at the presence of Raisi by the Iranian oil minister and the Venezuela foreign minister.

 

Iran supports independence of Latin America nations

On the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, President Raisi met with Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Keith Rowley.

Referring to the spirit of freedom and independence of Latin American nations, Raisi said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported the freedom-seeking and independence-seeking demands of all the nations of the world against the oppression of imperialist countries."

Expressing Iran's interest in expanding relations with Trinidad and Tobago, especially in the field of exploitation of oil and gas resources, the president added, "At a time when the enemy wanted to shut down Iran's oil industry by imposing sanctions and pressure, the Ministry of Oil and Iranian oil and gas sector were able to achieve a high level of technical knowledge and capabilities despite the enemy's wishes, which results in the growth of our country's oil and gas industry."

Noting the readiness of the Islamic Republic to exchange its experiences with Trinidad and Tobago, the president said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran, especially during the 13th government, has a special program to expand economic and political relations and interactions with all countries, including Latin America. In this regard, we are interested in improving the level of our relations with your country."

Referring to the remarks of the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago that Iran’s technical and trade ties were affected by U.S. sanctions against other Latin American countries, the president said, "This is evidence of U.S. oppression and imperialism, which includes countries with whom they have normal relations with."

Ayatollah Raisi pointed out, "The 43-year experience of the Islamic Republic has proved that anyone who resists oppression can certainly exercise their rights".

Prime Minister Keith Rowley also said his country has a significant amount of hydrocarbon resources. "Trinidad and Tobago seeks to expand its cooperation and relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, like Venezuela and Cuba."

"After independence from the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago focused on developing their oil and gas industries, and today our national oil and gas companies have good capabilities, but international companies still have an effective presence in our oil and gas industries," he added.

He stated that his country has tried to diversify its cooperation and economic partners more than before, saying, "We are interested in benefiting from Iran's experience and capabilities in the field of oil and gas."

 Raisi says Qatar serious to increase ties with Iran 

The Iranian president also met with a group of Iranians living in Qatar. In the meeting, Ayatollah Raisi said, "In the talks with the Emir of Qatar and in the conversation I had with the Prime Minister of this country, there is a serious will to expand trade and economic relations, so you Iranians living in Qatar can play a very effective role in realizing this will."

Raisi said, "Despite the will of the enemies, the Islamic Republic of Iran has made significant progress in various fields, including those that were under the most severe sanctions and pressures."

Ayatollah Raisi noted, "We are all obliged to try to increase Iran's exports. Today, unfortunately, our share in the region's economy is not in its proper place, while Iranian products in the region have an acceptable and competitive standard."