Iran, Qatar stress environmental cooperation to combat dust storms

Tehran, IRNA – Iran and Qatar have emphasized the need to strengthen environmental cooperation, particularly in confronting dust storms, during talks on the sidelines of the seventh session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7).

Head of the Environmental Protection Organization, Shina Ansari, met with Qatar’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Subaie, where the two sides underlined the development of joint environmental efforts.

Ansari described existing technical cooperation and joint committees between Iran and Qatar as constructive, assessing bilateral environmental relations as positive.

She stressed the need to enhance cooperation in dust control, saying that “the use of modern monitoring technologies and satellite monitoring to identify dust storm hotspots and for management planning is essential.”

She also emphasized joint cooperation in protecting the environment and biodiversity of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, controlling marine pollution, and combating the trafficking of animal species and wildlife.

For his part, Al-Subaie referred to the historical and friendly relations between the two countries and underscored Qatar’s readiness to expand environmental cooperation.

He identified cooperation in air quality monitoring, the use of modern technologies for early forecasting of air pollution and dust storms, rapid information systems, water quality control, water recycling, and the protection of water resources as shared priorities.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed to expand cooperation and implement joint projects aimed at addressing the region’s environmental challenges.