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Tehran-Doha high-speed train on the way to strengthening strategic relations – Mehr News Agency | Iran and world’s news



Mehr News Agency, International Group: Sheikh «Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani »arrived in Tehran yesterday, Thursday, May 12, at the head of an economic-political delegation and met with high-ranking officials of our country and in various fields from bilateral relations to issues related to the region such as Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and brutal assassination. “Sweet Abu AqlaA reporter for Al-Jazeera Qatar TV spoke.

During this visit, during which the Emir of Qatar met with the Supreme Leader of the Revolution and Ayatollah Seyyed Ibrahim Ra’isi, the President of our country, the need to increase bilateral political and economic cooperation was emphasized more than anything else; Issues that Previously During the diplomatic negotiations, agreements and agreements were reached Area Was obtained.

The cornerstone of consolidating strategic partnerships with a major visit to Doha

From the very beginning of its work in the field of foreign policy, the thirteenth government sought to adopt a balanced policy in the face of the East and the West of the world, and in the meantime, witnessed the priority of the approach.First Neighbors »in Route We were diplomats and in addition to the neighboring actors, the Arab countries Persian Gulf Basin Were also prioritized.

With the same approach, the President of our country was invited by the Emir of Qatar for the second mission on March 2nd وجهی That is, strengthening bilateral relations and participating in the Sixth Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) arrived in Doha; The assembly is commonly referred to as the “OPEC Gas”.

Also during that trip Opportunity It was agreed to sign 14 cooperation documents in the fields of aviation, trade, shipping, radio and television, foreign policy (visa waiver), electricity, standards, and culture and education.

Raeisi’s visit to Doha was so fruitful and the beginning of a new chapter in the relations between the two countries that the Emir of Qatar said on Thursday in Tehran: Your previous visit to Doha Doha It was very important and influential, and the history of relations between the two countries should be divided into before and after the trip, and we seriously want the implementation of all the agreements of that trip and the expansion of relations between the two countries, especially in trade and economic fields.

Tehran-Doha relations; Of a different sex with mutual respect

Iran and Qatar over the past decades have always shown in practice that they enjoy good relations and lasting friendship, and this hypothesis has been proven at different times and places.

In this regard, Ra’isi, in a meeting with the Emir of Qatar on Thursday, described the relations between the two countries as fraternal and said that “the Islamic Republic of Iran has proved its friendship to its friends and brothers in difficult times, including the friendly country and brother of Qatar.”

On the words of our President with the support of Iran during the siege and sanctions against Qatar in June 2017 Was. When four countries, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, severing its land and air borders and besieging Qatar.

Qatar’s long-term siege due to Iran’s diligent support not only failed to live up to Doha’s demands Riyadh Reform But also strengthened Iran-Qatar relations. Iran provided food shipments to help Doha avoid a food security crisis. Iran’s exports to Qatar from $ 60 million in 2016 and 2017 To $ 250 million between 2017 And 2018 Increased. Qatar Airways succeeded in using its airspace in Iran.

Eventually Members of the Cooperation Council at a meeting entitled “Regional Solidarity and Stability” in January 2021 Declaration to end Qatar siege in «العلاSaudi Arabia signed; A proclamation of a great victory for Doha in return It was a quadrilateral anti-Qatari coalition.

However, the sanctions against Qatar are aimed at reducing the level of relations between Tehran and Doha It was one of the main goals of the Arab League, but they got the opposite result. As a result, the siege brought Doha closer to Tehran, and Qatar perceived an immediate threat to security. His country It comes from the neighbors of the Gulf Cooperation Council, not Iran. For Doha, Iran has been not a threat but a lifeline.

According to experts, their relationship was different from that of other GCC actors, for example, at a time when countries in the region are seeking consensus and pressure over Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities. international The leaders of Doha were in Tehran international They openly sided with Iran and publicly stated their opposition to increasing pressure on Iran.

Qatar’s support for Iran under UN Security Council Resolution 1696 of 31 July 2006 It was passed, it was obvious, and this resolution was passed with 14 votes in favor and 1 vote against (Qatar). Also in 2015, Qatar supported the Comprehensive Joint Action Plan (CJAP).

The need to strengthen bilateral cooperation with the priority of the economy

As mentioned, one of the most important goals of the Emir of Qatar’s visit to Iran was to follow up and advance the fourteen agreements that were previously signed between the two countries, and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is also the first leader of the countries south of the Persian Gulf. Raisi has traveled to Tehran when he came to power.

Therefore, during this trip, there was an opportunity for the leaders of the two neighboring countries to pursue bilateral cooperation in regional balances, strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as cooperation in the direction of the FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by Qatar in a few months.

It should be noted that Tehran, relying on the principle of good neighborliness, seeks tourist productivity of its islands in the Persian Gulf, and above all Qeshm and Kish during the World Cup. In order to achieve this, the issuance of visas for spectators of the World Cup games in Qatar to travel to Iran for free and flights during this period will be multiplied daily.

In addition to the cooperation between Tehran and Doha in the field of hosting tourists, there are other significant economic platforms and capacities for mutual cooperation. From the point of view of political economy experts, construction, shipping, transit, petrochemical, energy, hotel, food, fisheries, aquatic, dairy, pharmaceutical and medical supplies are among the most important areas of joint cooperation between Iran and Qatar.

At the same time, Iran and Qatar have the largest common natural gas field in the world (North Dome / South Pars), which has taken the genre of cooperation beyond the political dimension and is highly dependent on it economically. Clearly, ensuring the security of this field and access to it necessitate Qatar’s cooperation with Iran. In addition, any military conflict in the Persian Gulf, including Iran, could seriously damage Qatar’s important and vulnerable infrastructure.

Although Iran’s relations with Doha are politically positive and constructive, unfortunately they have not been able to take advantage of each other’s economic potential. “Unfortunately, we do not have a private share of the total of about 26 billion and 700 million dollars in Qatari imports, and our share of it is between 350 and 360 million,” said Hesam Hallaj, deputy director of international affairs at the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, in late June last year. Is the dollar. Unfortunately, we are not even among Qatar’s top 20 trading partners, and mainly European countries and Turkey is one of our neighbors. Therefore, a detailed research work is needed in this regard.

In response to a question about Iran’s imports from Qatar, the Deputy Minister of International Affairs of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce said: “Unfortunately, we do not have many imports from Qatar.” Our total import volume from Qatar is about $ 30 million, which is mostly related to electrical, audio-visual equipment and tires. The trade balance between the two countries is $ 310 million in favor of Iran. We should try to use Qatar as a country through which to circumvent the sanctions and use the intermediary country to at least create a desire on the other side to expand relations.

Experts believe that if they move in the direction of a short-term plan, the two countries have the potential to increase trade to $ 500 million in the first step and to $ 1 billion in the second step.

It was in this connection that the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, during his meeting with the Emir of Qatar on Thursday, considered the strength and stability of relations between the two countries in favor of Tehran and Doha, adding: “The current level of economic relations between the two countries is very low and should be multiplied.”

Recent efforts to revive Burjam

Qatar is one of the countries that has always played the role of mediator and catalyst in the nuclear negotiations in the political arena, as Doha has repeatedly hosted Iranian diplomats and the other side during the negotiations.

According to experts, the simultaneous visit of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to “Enrique Mora”, Deputy Foreign Minister of the European Union, and “Zbigniew Rao”, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, to Tehran could not be accidental, reinforcing the hypothesis that they The prolongation of the suspension of the negotiations in the eighth round is a step towards the revival of Barjam.

Since the Emir of Qatar will travel to Europe after Tehran, it is estimated that in addition to mediation between Tehran and Washington, other important issues will be raised during this trip, including the release of Tehran’s blocked resources, the release and exchange of prisoners with Western countries. .

Thus, negotiations that have stalled since March 11 last year due to disagreements over issues such as the number and cases of sanctions, verification, guarantees and, most importantly, the US effort to keep the Revolutionary Guards under terrorist groups, can now be mediated.

Of course, Iran’s red lines are clear and the ball is in the ground on the western side, and now the United States and its European allies must make their final decision on which path to choose between unilateralism and the death of Borjam or commitment and revival of the agreement they need.

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