TEHRAN- During a meeting between Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian and Qatar’s Ambassador to Tehran Mohammed bin Hamad Al Hajri, the two sides stressed the expansion and strengthening of ties and cooperation between the two countries in different areas.

In the meeting, which was on the sidelines of a ceremony hosted by Al Hajri on the occasion of Qatar National Day, Mehrabian, who is the Iranian chairman of Iran-Qatar Joint Economic Committee, emphasized the need to further develop and consolidate the relations between the two sides in the political, economic and cultural fields, and added: “I hope that by relying on common capacities and actively exploiting the existing capabilities with the Qatari government, we will be able to make further progress in line with the interests of the two nations.”

Referring to the long history of cooperation between the two countries, the minister continued: “The holding of the eighth meeting of Iran-Qatar Joint Economic Committee in June of this year in Doha provided a more suitable opportunity to enter the cooperation into a new and strategic arena with more serious decisions.”

Back in early June, Iran and Qatar inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the end of the two countries' eighth Joint Economic Committee meeting in Doha to outline avenues for future cooperation.

The MOU was signed by Mehrabian and Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Qassim Al-Thani who co-chaired the committee meeting.

This memorandum determines the framework of cooperation in various fields including transit, transportation, industry and trade, energy, customs and free zones, tourism, culture, agriculture, sports, etc.

Speaking at the eighth meeting of the Iran-Qatar Joint Economic Committee, Mehrabian emphasized the Iranian government's approach to developing international relations and said: "Considering our good relations in the past, this meeting should be a new chapter in the development of cooperation between the two countries."

“We hope to see a significant increase in interactions with the agreements reached in this meeting,” he added.

"One of the most important goals of the meeting is to support the Iranian and Qatari private sectors, and we are happy to see that a large conference with the participation of Iranian businessmen is being held in Doha at the same time as the meeting of the joint committee," Mehrabian said.

According to the official, eight MOUs on food, medical industry, knowledge-based companies, etc. were also signed between businessmen of the two countries on the sidelines of the mentioned meeting.

The Iranian energy minister noted that Iran and Qatar have set financial goals for 2023 and hope to see doubled economic relations and trade balance between the two countries.

Meanwhile, in the same day, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) and Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry also signed an MOU to form a Joint Economic Council.

The document was signed by Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and his Iranian Counterpart Gholam-Hossein Shafeie in Doha.

In the signing ceremony, Al-Thani hailed the formation of the council that makes up of elites of different economic sectors of the two countries.

He said that the council will help discover investment opportunities in both countries and develop mutual cooperation.

The Qatari official stressed the importance of the positive role that the private sector can play in developing trade between the two sides.

Shafeie, for his part, announced Iran’s willingness to boost trade ties with Qatar and said that there are numerous grounds for cooperation in this regard.

In another event held on the sidelines of the two countries’ Joint Economic Committee meeting, TPO Head Alireza Peyman-Pak held talks with the private sector representatives of the two countries to discuss trade related issues and challenges.

Speaking in that meeting, Peyman-Pak expressed the Iranian government’s determination to fully support Qatari traders and investors who decide to do business in Iran.

“Holding joint meetings between businessmen and private sectors of the two countries is one of the issues emphasized by the governments of Iran and Qatar, and both countries are working to establish stable trade relations,” he said.

As announced by the spokesman of Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade, Iran’s export to Qatar rose 30 percent in the seventh Iranian calendar month Mehr (September 22-October 22), as compared to the same month in the past year.

Omid Qalibaf said that trade between the two countries is on a growing path, so that in the seven months of this Iranian year (March 21-October 22), the exports of items such as semi-finished steel products, all kinds of glass, live shrimp and fish, greenhouse tomatoes, white cement, sweets and chocolates, and all kinds of grain products have increased 100 percent compared to the same period last year.

As previously announced by the vice chairman of Iran-Qatar Joint Economic Committee, the value of Iran’s export to Qatar is expected to rise to $1 billion within two years.

MA/MA

Photo: Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian (R)and Qatar’s Ambassador to Tehran Mohammed bin Hamad Al Hajri