TEHRAN — In a joint press conference on Monday with the Qatari Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi said he was visiting Qatar to develop bilateral relations.

While appreciating the invitation of the Emir of Qatar to travel to Doha and attend the world gas summit, Raisi said, “Today I attended Doha with two goals, one was the development of bilateral relations between Iran and Qatar and another is attending the summit of Gas Exporting Countries Forum.”

Calling his meeting with the Qatari Emir “good and positive”, the president said both sides agreed that the two countries will benefit from the existing capacities and opportunities to expand cooperation and deepen relations in various fields and areas.

“Considering the territorial proximity and common interests of Iran and Qatar, we decided to take serious and new steps to increase relations and diversify areas of cooperation,” he continued.

Referring to his agreements with the Emir of Qatar to seriously increase cooperation between the two countries in the fields of transport, energy, trade, investment, food security, health and culture, the president added that Iran is ready to fully cooperate with Qatar in hosting the World Cup games in the best way possible.

Enumerating Iran's unique advantages in various fields such as geographical, environmental, transit, economic, scientific and especially young and educated forces, Raisi said that these advantages guarantee the ground for any bilateral or multilateral cooperation, economic growth and regional security.

He added, “The Islamic Republic is looking for a change and leap in regional relations and this trip will start a new chapter in Iran-Qatar relations.” 

He then said that the trip is considered as one of the most transformational steps with neighbors, especially Iran’s neighbors in the Persian Gulf countries.

The president stated that the level of cooperation between the countries of the region is not commensurate with the huge existing capacities, noting that Iran seeks to help strengthen these relations within the framework of neighborhood policy and to seek cooperation in the development of regional relations.

He continued, “Iran has proved that it always stands by the interests of independent countries and nations, and in difficult times, we have proved our friendship to all countries in the region.”

He added that many countries in the region have realized this fact and have similar experiences in this field.

Iran is winner of fight against terrorism and maximum pressure campaign 

Raisi then stated that Iran has won two battlefields against terrorism and the maximum economic pressure campaign.

The president was openly referring to Iran’s success in helping defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria and resisting the “maximum pressure” campaign introduced against Iran by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

About a revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the JCPOA, the president said the United States must prove its seriousness by lifting the main sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Raisi also said in order to reach an agreement in the Vienna negotiations with the Westerners, it is necessary to ensure the interests of the Iranian people, especially the lifting of sanctions, a valid guarantee and stopping political claims against Iran.

He added that the region has entered a new phase. “After decades of aggressive and occupying presence of the hegemonic forces, the region is returning to the nations of the region, and this victory has been achieved with the resistance of the people.”

The president outlined that the countries in the region should resolve crises regions through consultations.

Three great lessons of recent developments in region

In another part of the press conference, Raisi said three lessons from the developments of the last few decades are that aggression is doomed to failure, the resistance is responding and none of the problems in the region has a military solution.

“We also discussed and agreed on regional issues, including the fight against terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and drug trafficking,” the president said. 

He highlighted that the fight against terrorism and its forms is one of the priorities of Tehran-Doha ties, and Iran's experiences in this field in Syria and Iraq are a security-building force for the region and the world.

The president stressed that Afghanistan's neighbors and regional countries must help all Afghan groups with different ethnicities to establish an inclusive government, otherwise, insecurity will return to this oppressed country.

The solution to Yemeni crisis is ending Yemeni siege 

Raisi then went on to say that the two leaders also talked about the Yemeni people and emphasized the need to lift the siege on the oppressed nation as a humanitarian action. 

“The solution to the Yemeni problem is to stop the aggression on Yemen and holding Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue,” he reiterated. 

Raisi further said that as he announced on the day of his inauguration, he extends his hand of friendship to all countries of the region, especially neighbors, in order to maximize interaction.

“Once again I need to thank the Emir and the government of Qatar for their hospitality,” he added.

The president then expressed hope that these talks will bear fruit.