TEHRAN, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday urged to expand cooperation among regional states.
The current situation of the region makes regional cooperation and the avoidance of reliance on foreigners a necessity, Khamenei said during a meeting with the visiting Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Iran has repeatedly announced that it is ready for closer cooperation with the regional states, he said.
Khamenei also called for promoting economic ties between Iran and Qatar.
For his part, the Qatari emir said "we also agree with your remarks considering the enhancement of cooperation among the regional countries, and believe that comprehensive dialogue should be held among the regional countries."
He also expressed his gratitude for Iran's supports to Qatar when the latter was sanctioned by some Arabic states over the past years.
