The meeting comes as the region embarks on what appears to be a major step towards rapprochement.

A top Qatari official has stressed the principles of good neighbourliness during an Arab-Iranian Dialogue conference bringing together senior figures from across the region earlier this week.

Qatar’s Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khelaifi made the comments at the second Arab-Iranian Dialogue conference, organised by the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies done in collaboration with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations in Iran.

The Qatari official highlighted Qatar’s crucial role as a mediator and location for dialogue among conflicting parties worldwide, noting understandings and ties are regularly cultivated in the Gulf state.

Al Khelaifi also weighed in on Doha’s commitment to improving communication and cooperation between Tehran and Washington as it continues to works with both sides to reach an understanding and attain agreements.

Doha recently ramped up its unofficial role as a mediator between Iran and Washington by hosting a round of negotiations in Doha in June 2022 as part of efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Despite the problems and challenges the region faces, Al Khelaifi maintained, ongoing constructive conversation is essential for “connecting the destinies of Arabs and Iranians,” reports said.

Present at the conference was the head of Iran’s Strategic Foreign Relations Council Kamal Kharrazi, who is also Iran’s former foreign minister. During the event, he led a group of ex-officials from Iran who were involved in the country’s Arab policies.

The meeting comes as the region embarks on what appears to be a major step towards rapprochement, most notably normalisation of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The two regional powerhouses agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties in March as part of a China-brokered deal, marking the end of a seven-year rift and an agreement for the two nations to re-open their embassies.

Kharrazi praised Qatar’s role in negotiations to restore the nuclear deal as well as making strides in strengthening bilateral relations between countries.

He said the ideal route to strengthen regional security, economic and cultural integration is through cooperation and confronting shared concerns like terrorism and regional tensions.

“Iran considers security in the region as its responsibility and a guarantee for regional stability, while it sees the importance of the withdrawal of foreign forces from Syria and the achievement of dialogue in Yemen to achieve peace and stability,” Kharrazi said, as quoted by reports.

During the three-day event, Abdulaziz Al Owaisheq, assistant secretary-general for Political Affairs and Negotiations at the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), also stressed the need for economic and security cooperation between Iran and the Gulf nations in order to tackle shared issues.