Asian actors can present new model in int’l ties: Pezeshkian
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran believes that Asian actors are able to introduce and represent a new model of constructive relations in the modern international relations based on “justice and multilateralism.”
Addressing the 19th Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit in Qatar’s capital on Thursday, the Iranian president said, “We all belong to a geographical area which is rich in tremendous culture, history and civilization, that is called Asia.”
Pezeshkian said that many of Asian countries’ collective interests depend on unity and the creation of a wide network of constructive cooperation between the continent’s countries.
He called sports diplomacy as one of the best ways to increase regional interactions, which strengthens relations between governments and people-to-people relations.
The Iranian president said Iran has always focused on Asia which has a high position in the world trade network.
“The largest economic projects in the world, the world’s financial, innovation, technological and commercial centers, the most populated consumer markets in the world, the world’s richest natural resources and energy, and the most important rail and sea corridors in the geographical area of the Far East to the Persian Gulf all are located in this continent,” Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian president who arrived in Doha on Wednesday, also held a meeting with the Persian Gulf country’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
During a joint presser, Pezeshkian said Iran and Qatar have a mutual will to enhance the level of cooperation in various areas, including trade and transportation.
Also on Wednesday, Iran and Qatar signed six agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU), paving the way for cooperation in various fields, including economy and culture.
They covered such areas as collaboration on the development of Iran’s Bandar-e Dayyer on the Persian Gulf coast, bilateral trade, cooperation in the health and welfare sectors as well as a joint cultural cooperation program by the end of March 2027 and a sports cooperation scheme that will go on until 2026.
Iran’s frozen assets
Upon his return to Tehran from a Doha, Pezeshkian said Iran has reached a “good understanding” with Qatar on the $6 billion in Iranian funds that are being withheld by Doha after their release from South Korean banks.
“In Qatar, we have $6 billion in assets. The issue was discussed during a meeting between the governors of the two countries’ central banks, as well as the meeting with the Qatari emir; We reached a good understanding in this regard,” he said.
In August 2023, Iran and the United States agreed to a Qatar-brokered deal to secure the release of some $6 billion of Iranian funds that had remained frozen in two South Korean banks since 2018 under the pretext of US sanctions.
The money was successfully transferred to bank accounts in Doha. Later, however, American media reported that the US had reached a “quiet understanding” with Qatar to stop Iran from accessing its funds.