Economic interdependence between Iran and its Gulf neighbours could provide a foundation for security in the long term, Majed Al Ansari, adviser to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, said in New York on Monday.
At the Concordia Annual Summit, Mr Al Ansari described a vision for the region after the current conflict, in which economic interests and security guarantees help to reduce the risk of future confrontation.
“Whenever this is done, the people of the Gulf are going to be living next to 90 million Iranians,” Mr Al Ansari, who is also spokesman for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, said before the UN General Assembly's high-level debate.
“Whatever Iran looks like, however it is governed, we're going to have to live next to them, and therefore, we need a diplomatic resolution that has a sustainable element when it comes to regional dialogue."
Such an arrangement would also need security guarantees to ensure Gulf countries are not attacked by Iran during future confrontations involving Iran, Mr Al Ansari said.
“We do believe wholeheartedly that there is a chance to create in the region something that has not happened since the inception of our region, which is economic interdependence,” he said.
"Right now, we are so siloed when it comes to our economies that it does not cost the other party anything when the other side of the Gulf is threatened one way or the other.
“We need to build for our people economic interdependence that would allow the people of Iran to enjoy prosperity, our people to enjoy their security, and for our dreams to be applied together rather than just being against each other in this way."
World leaders and senior officials have gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly's high-level week, with Iran and broader Middle East security expected to feature prominently in diplomatic discussions.
On Sunday, Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, called for a “new mindset” in relations with Iran, saying discussions about the region's future should also take place between Tehran and Arab states.
"Discussions about what sort of region we all want, what sort of stability we all pray for, and what sort of development, which is very much linked to stability … while it can happen at an Iranian-American level, it should also take place at an Iranian-Arab level."
US President Donald Trump is set to meet Gulf officials in New York this week. The gathering will also include Iraq and Jordan.
