TEHRAN (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Ebrahim Raisi, Iranian president, has arrived in Qatar for high-level talks with Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and to attend the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).
During his two-day visit, Raisi will be accompanied by numerous ministers and is scheduled to sign various agreements aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.
The visit is seen as a step toward reactivating diplomacy with neighbours, particularly those in the Persian Gulf, and utilising their capacities to strengthen economic and political ties, Raisi said before leaving Tehran for Doha early Monday.
Four agreements will be inked between the two countries, according to Iran’s roads and transport minister of Iran, Rostam Ghasemi. The most crucial of these, according to Ghaemi, is an agreement on a plan to connect Qatar and Iran by an underwater tunnel.
There is expectation that Raisi will represent Iran at the GECF session on Tuesday. Iran has the second-largest natural gas reserves in the world.
Talks in Vienna, ties in Qatar
The visit comes as Iran and the international countries that signed the 2015 nuclear deal claim long-running discussions in Vienna to restore the accord — which the US unilaterally abandoned in 2018 – are nearing their conclusion.
The discussions, if successful, may pave the way for Iran’s full return to the global energy market, allowing it to sell its oil and derivatives without being hampered by US sanctions.
Qatar has pushed for the reinstatement of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the nuclear deal is officially known, as a measure to strengthen regional and international security.
Qatar has also served as a conduit for messages between Iran and the United States, as Tehran continues to refuse to engage directly with Washington as a result of its breach of the landmark agreement.
Since 2017, when many Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and put a blockade on it, Iran and Qatar have developed much tighter ties.
Since the ban was lifted and diplomatic connections were restored in early 2021, both parties have maintained such ties.
