Venezuela president talks cooperation with Qatar emir

DOHA — Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro met on Wednesday with Qatar's Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani in the gas-rich Gulf nation, his fifth stop of a regional tour.

The two heads of state discussed "developing relations of friendship and prospects of joint cooperation" between the two countries, the Qatar News Agency said.

The talks focused in particular on "energy, the economy, investment, agriculture and tourism", the agency added.

The emir said on Twitter that the two "discussed ways of strengthening cooperation between our two countries in many areas for the good and well-being of our two peoples".

Maduro said on Twitter that "we work for the construction of a cooperation map for the welfare of the Venezuelan people and for the union and brotherhood among nations".

The Venezuelan leader arrived in Qatar on Tuesday.

His trip was scheduled to last two days, diplomatic sources said.

Maduro was in Iran at the weekend, and signed a 20-year cooperation agreement with the Islamic republic.

Iran and Venezuela are both members of the OPEC alliance of oil producers and both are subject to US sanctions.

Qatar is a major US ally. But in 2014, Maduro said that Qatari banks were helping with substantial loans as his South American nation, which depends on oil for revenues, went into economic free fall.

Maduro was in Kuwait on Monday and had earlier been in Algeria and Turkey.