Mediation at the core of Qatar's diplomacy: FM

Speaking at the Chatham House panel discussion in the UK Wednesday, he said: "2022 is the year to solve the crises and Qatar is functioning through its resources while urging for international cooperation. Recent incidents have highlighted the importance of international cooperation and the crises can be addressed only through international efforts, not unilateral ones,” he said, adding that mediation is at the core of Qatar's diplomacy and it has a sense of optimism. Asked about ties with the US and China, HE Sheikh Mohamed said that Qatar has a strong relation with both but not limited to any particular sector. “We have a long time relationship with the US in defence, energy and education sectors with a diplomatic relationship of 50 years. We have achieved progress while supporting the anti-ISIS combat. And we demonstrated partnership in the Afghanistan issue while hosting the mediation talks for about seven years and supporting the evacuation. We work in an international and multilateral environment. The US is a partner in various sectors and cooperates in solving various issues, holding nuclear talks with Iran and resolving the Israel-Palestine issue,” the minister said, noting that Qatar worked well with the Trump administration.“China is one of our largest consumers of gas. We have a strong security relationship with the US and a growing economic relationship with China," he said.“There is a better environment for talks between Iran and the US. And we are trying to understand how the gaps could be bridged. It’s in our interest to reach an agreement with Iran and GCC. We hope that we can have a positive outcome in the near future,” he explained.HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said there is a positive momentum to strengthen the ties among Gulf countries after years of crisis in order to help the people get benefits noting that trade talks are to be started. GCC has a close coordination in the Afghanistan issue. A meeting was recently held in Doha to create a better understanding."It is unfortunate that there is no Arab leadership in conflict areas in the Middle East. We need a comprehensive dialogue with the non-Arab states like Iran and Turkey. In Iraq, Yemen, and Palestine, we need to consider Arab interests," he said.In the Israel-Palestine issue, mediation is the core principle of Qatar's foreign policy. “We are taking up efforts to alleviate the suffering Palestinian people, especially in Gaza. The treatment for the issue is for Israelis to come to the table and secure a two state solution through a peace process," he said. While asked about supporting Hamas, Sheikh Mohamed explained that Qatar is supporting the people of Palestine and noted that many Arab countries do not list Hamas as a terrorist organisation as they are under occupation and Hamas is a component of Palestinian society. “We condemn all attacks on civilians,” he said.Regarding Afghanistan, he affirmed that Qatar is ensuring the fund for counter terrorism is not going to wrong hands and wants the frozen financial assets to go to the Afghan people. “We are working closely with Europe and the US. We don't want the Afghan people to suffer just because the Taliban are disliked internationally. Recapitalising the Afghan economy needs collective efforts by the international community," he said.“We want to bring the Yemeni people together and stop the crisis. We have educated 10mn children in different conflict zones. We try to teach them to carry pens as their weapons, not the traditional weapons to maintain their statuesque,” he said.With the current energy crisis, Sheikh Mohamed said Qatar is looking to expand its capacity of production while working to build a longer plan for supplies of gas to Europe. Qatar is taking environmental policies into consideration. “Qatar has been very much looking at environmental policies. The country has a leading role in reducing carbon emission. We work on generating solar energy and renewable energy plays a significant role in energy generation in Qatar,” he said.HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that Qatar has helped around 50 countries to ease the adversity of Covid-19 crisis and is actively supporting Gavi, the vaccine alliance. "As we approach the 2022 World Cup, it’s a privilege to host the first World Cup in the Middle East and in an Arab country. I look forward to welcoming you all in November to cheer your teams,” he added.