TEHRAN- The Qatari delegation, that has traveled to Iran to attend the ninth meeting of the Iran-Qatar Joint Economic Committee, visited an exhibition of Iranian products on Sunday.

The Qatari delegates got familiar with the Iranian producers’ capabilities in the mentioned exhibition, which is being held on the sidelines of the joint committee meeting.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the ninth Iran-Qatar Joint Economic Committee meeting in Tehran on Saturday, the head of the International Affairs Department of the Iranian Energy Ministry, said Tehran and Doha are determined to increase the two countries’ annual trade to $1.0 billion.

Mojtaba Akbari said neighborhood-based diplomacy is one of the important principles of the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi.

According to Akbari, currently, the volume of Iran's export of goods and equipment to Qatar is about $200 million, which is expandable to $1.0 billion.

He pointed to the history of holding the joint economic committee meeting and added that the eighth edition was held in the Qatari capital of Doha in 2022 and had positive results.

With the advancement of neighborhood-based diplomacy through cultural, social, and economic proximity with Qatar, many obstacles on the path of ties between the two countries can be removed, he added.

Many Iranian traders, industrialists, and scientists have attained considerable achievements that can be shared with Qatar, Akbari underscored.

Facilitating and improving trade ties, joint-venture production of goods, equipment, and services, and special attention to the transfer of technical know-how are among the fields of cooperation between the two countries, the official noted.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony of the committee meeting, Saleh Abdullah Al-Mana, director general of the Department of International Cooperation and Trade Agreements at Qatar Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said trade exchanges between Iran and Qatar have increased by 43 percent in recent years.

“Currently, 845 Iranian companies are active in Qatar, which indicates that between 2017 and 2022, the presence and activity of Iranian companies in Qatar has increased significantly,” the official said.

Al-Mana expressed hope that positive steps will be taken in the ninth joint economic committee of the two countries, and good agreements will be reached.

EF/MA