AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): President Sayyed Ibrahim Raeisi of Iran visited Qatar on Monday, meeting the Arab country's leader and talking about bilateral relations and regional issues. Here are the key topics of discussion of the two countries:
1. Improving bilateral cooperation
Iran and Qatar have significantly increased level of their political relations in recent years, and the selection of Doha as the member of the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council to be the destination for latest foreign visit of the Iranian president shows the high level of friendly relations and determination of the two countries to continue and improve the level of their relationship.
On the one hand, the government of President Raeisi has set its main foreign policy priority the relations with its neighbors, among them the Persian Gulf Arab states, and on the other hand, Qatar, using Iran as a breathing space during the Saudi-led blockade on Doha in 2017, is willing to maintain the warm a relationship and partnership with the Islamic Republic.
An important issue regarding the regional role of Qatar is the approach that the country takes in foreign policy to maintain stability in the Persian Gulf region. Qatar is an Arab country and a member of the (P) GCC, and naturally close relations with it, beside balancing the Islamic Republic's relations with the Cooperation Council, could thwart US efforts to form a regional alliance of Arabs and the Israeli regime against Tehran. Despite hosting a US military base, Qatar has tried to prevent this from affecting good relations with Iran. And even in crises of Gaza and Lebanon, both part of an Iranian-led bloc called Axis of Resistance, Qatar has always pursued pro-stability approaches, contrary to Saudi Arabia whose approach remains destructive. The Qataris have in recent months expressed a desire to play a mediatory role between Tehran and Riyadh, and in recent days, both Saudi Arabia and Iranian diplomats have announced their readiness to start a new round of de-escalation talks.
Another important aspect of shoring up relations with Doha is the boost of trade and economic ties which currently neither fit their bilateral political levels nor their economic capacities.
Iran's current share of Qatar's foreign trade is very small and is in no way close to the political relations between the two countries, as well as Iran's trade, industrial, agricultural and technological potentials. According to deputy chief of international affairs of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, in last June, Iran's share from $26.7 billion of Qatari imports was only $350-360 million. The two countries target $1 billion.
The holding of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar this year is an important opportunity to promote economic relations with Doha, and this issue was considered during Iran's Foreign Minister Amir-Abdullahian's visit to Doha in January. Amir-Abdullahian said at the time: "In the past, there have been talks about the World Cup games, and we have talked about the capacity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially in the field of technical and engineering services and facilities that Qatar can use."
During the Monday visit, the countries signed various agreements, paving the way for trade ties boost. According to Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the 14 documents signed were in aviation, trade, shipping, media, visa, electricity, standards, culture, and education.
2. Gas summit
Given the important role of natural gas in the energy transition process, the share of this fuel is increasing in the energy basket of the world. In next decade, gas share is expected to outsize oil's in the consumer market and naturally all the countries with major gas reserves are taking steps to broaden their natural and liquefied gas production and exports given the crisis in global energy markets.
Iran, a country with second-largest proven gas reserves, in 2001 proposed formation of gas exporters bloc. The bloc was officially formed on December 23, 2008.
Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela are currently the 11 main members of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GEFC), and the Netherlands, Norway, Iraq, Oman, Peru, Azerbaijan, and the UAE are observer members. Concerning the capability of member countries, it is worth mentioning that they have 44 percent of world gas production, 67 percent of world gas reserves, 64 percent of piped gas transmission, and 66 percent of liquefied natural gas trade. The new Secretary General of the GEFC is to be elected at the sixth meeting.
Iran and Qatar share a huge gas field in the Persian Gulf. Qatar is currently the second-largest LNG exporter after the US and aspires to unseat Washington in the near future. Meanwhile, Iran which has not been an exporter of LNG, can use Qatar as an LNG transit pad to provide to the global markets, especially Europe's which desperately needs gas imports amid Ukraine crisis. Iran presence at GEFC's sixth meeting at highest level is expressive of Tehran's resolve to enter this market in the future.
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