MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2020) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani met with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the leaders discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties, the Iranian president's office said Sunday.
"Today, we agreed to increase the political and economic relations between the two countries' political and economic officials and to use our full potential for the benefit of both nations ... We hope to see more relations between the two countries for the benefit of both nations and the entire region, and that this visit will have a very beneficial impact on the relations between the two countries,"� Rouhani was quoted as saying in a statement on the website of the presidency.
The Iranian leader said that Iran-Qatar political relations were excellent and that the two countries had great potential for cooperation in economic, commercial, scientific and cultural fields. Rouhani also pledged Iran's support for Qatar in the spat between Qatar and other Gulf states.
"In recent years, after some countries have imposed sanctions on Qatar, Iran has fulfilled its duty as a neighbour and friendly country to Qatar and will stand by the country in the future," he said.
In turn, Al Thani thanked the Iranian leader for the welcome and said that the sides agreed "to set figures and goals for business and tourism exchange between the two countries."
The Qatari leader also thanked Iran for its support in the 2017 Gulf diplomatic crisis.
"I would like to once again thank the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran when we were under siege and Iran helped the Qatari nation. We will never forget these helps," he said.
Al Thani then invited Rouhani to make an official visit to Qatar.
The visit comes amid fresh tensions in the region in the wake of Iran striking US bases in Iraq in response to the killing of senior Iranian military official Qasem Soleimani at the orders of US President Donald Trump.
