Qatari Ambassador to Iran Ali bin Hamad al-Sulaiti has thanked Tehran for its assistance to Doha one year after diplomatic and economic sanctions were imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran pioneered in aid and humanitarian assistance to the Qatari government and tried to reduce the negative impacts of the siege on Qatari citizens. It opened its airspace to the Qatari planes and rapidly sent foodstuff to make up for the abrupt cut in export of goods by the four countries. It also provided a passage for transferring goods by many countries to the Qatari government,” Sulaiti wrote in a memo on Saturday.
“One year after imposing sanctions against Doha, the Qatari government and people won’t forget the measures adopted by the four Arab states against Doha as well as the assistance of nations that stood beside them during the crisis,” Fars News Agency also quoted the Qatari envoy as saying.
The Saudi-led Arab quartet abruptly imposed a diplomatic and economic blockade against Qatar last June, accusing Doha of supporting and funding terrorism and manipulating internal affairs of its neighboring states. Doha dismisses these allegations.
Qatar’s ruler personally thanked Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani in May for Tehran’s support during an almost yearlong Arab crisis
The value of trade between Iran and Qatar hit $275 million in the last fiscal year (March 2017-18), marking a 137% increase compared with the year before. Iran’s exports to the Persian Gulf state reached $248 million to register a 140% growth.
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