Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian has travelled to Qatar to expand on a series of energy agreements signed between the two countries this year.
Ardaknian met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Monday to submit a written message by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, said a report by the Iranian Energy Ministry’s news service Paven.
The report said Rouhani had reiterated in the message that Iran is fully prepared to implement a series of key energy and trade agreements reached with Qatar in recent months, including those finalized during Sheikh Tamim’s visit to Tehran in January.
The Qatari news agency also published a report about Ardakanian’s meeting with Qatari Emir, saying the two met in the Royal Court in Doha earlier on Monday.
It said the message from Iran’s Rouhani was concentrated on bilateral relations between the two countries and issues of common concern and how Tehran and Doha could support efforts to further strengthen their ties.
Paven said Ardakanian is slated to meet senior Qatari government officials, including the minister of energy and head of the country’s water and electricity board and other key people in investment and trade.
Iran and Qatar are two of the world’s leading natural gas producers as they share a giant gas reserve in the Persian Gulf. The two countries have been seeking to engage in joint investment and development schemes for various energy projectors, including in the field of electricity and water treatment.
Iranian authorities said in late September that plans are in pace to link the power networks of Iran and Qatar through a subsea cable.
Reports say the two countries also aim to increase cooperation in joint desalination projects to increase water output from the Persian Gulf.