sheikh Hamad to arrive in Tehran on Thursday

Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ambassador in Doha announced here Wednesday Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin-Khalifa ale-Thani would arrive in Tehran on an official visit tomorrow (on Thursday). Abdollah Sohrabi further told IRNA, “In the framework of ‘Ramezaniyyeh’ diplomacy, in a bid to harmonize efforts, and in line with the expanding Tehran-Doha cooperation, Emir of Qatar will have an official visit of Tehran.” He added that the visit is in response to the IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 2010 visit of Qatar atop a high ranking delegation, which was a bright success. Sohrabi said, “This would be the sixth visit of Emir of Qatar during President Ahmadinejad’s tenure.” The Iranian diplomat said that Iran-Qatar relations today serve as a model for good ties between two Islamic countries for the rest of the Islamic world, adding, “The good and still improving Iran-Qatar ties have been positively affecting the process of problem solving in Islamic and regional countries, and can serve as a model in the region.” He added, “Qatar Government has been pursuing an active diplomacy and there is the good experience of relations with Iran in that respect, we can particularly refer to problems solving in Lebanon and in Gaza, for instance, and we hope such fruitful consultations would continue in the future, as well.” Qatar and Iran share close ties and membership in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Despite its close ties to Iran, Qatar is also an ally of the United States, hosting US Central Command’s Forward Headquarters in Doha. Qatar has also always supported the Iranian nation’s right to have a peaceful nuclear program, despite the US-led western pressure over the regional countries to align them with their anti-Iranian nuclear rhetoric. Iran and Qatar have made several agreements over the past few years to further develop their economic relationship, most specifically their oil and gas cooperation both within and outside of OPEC. Iran and Qatar are both members of the OPEC—and together the two states control the South Pars Gas Field, a massive global natural gas reserve, 38 percent of which lies under Iran’s territorial waters. Aside from economic dealings in oil and natural gas, Iran and Qatar also cooperate in the shipping sector.