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Hossein Amir-Abdollahian |
A visiting government official from Iran has praised Qatar for its forward-thinking outlook on regional issues and its close relationship with his country, claiming that both nations share common ground on a range of issues.
Deputy head of the African and Arabic department at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, spoke about Iran’s development strategy for the Gulf region, explaining that he started his recent trip to the region in Qatar because bilateral relations between Tehran and Doha are better than with any other country in the area.
“We want our relationship with Qatar to be a symbol to the rest of the region,” he said, expressing his hope that Iran can foster positive ties with other countries in the Gulf in the future.
He explained that Iran had presented a package of recommendations for co-operation on 12 separate issues to all the GCC nations, with a number choosing to accept all of the suggestions. However, he declined to specify which countries have signed these agreements.
He referred to Iran’s tempestuous relationship with the US and the recent incident regarding the US drone downed in Iran.
He also claimed that the incident was an indication of the high level of technology possessed by Iranian forces.
“The future of relations with the US will depend on what they do to us,” he said, adding “if they obey international laws and regulations then we can move forward with our relationship.”
He argued that President Obama must accept responsibility for the problems related to the ties between the two countries.
Abdollahian also spoke about international intervention in the region, reaffirming Iran’s stance against any external pressure being placed on Syria, claiming that the issues affecting the country must be resolved by the people and government of Syria themselves.
He said that he had been discussing the situation in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain with Minister of State for International Co-operation, Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah during his visit to Qatar, explaining that both officials held similar views on the situation in the countries.
Abdollahian also referred to the recent report commissioned by the King of Bahrain into the violence which erupted in the kingdom earlier this year, explaining that the commission found no evidence of Iranian influence in the protests which have destabilised the country.
“There are countries who wish to create a feeling of fear around Iran, but fortunately this policy has been stopped in the Gulf region as they do not believe it,” he added.
