Trump status: Qatar interested in strategic partnership with Russia

Moscow and Doha are actively developing cooperation, with Qatar interested in achieving the status of strategic partnership. This was stated to Izvestia by its ambassador to Moscow Ahmed bin Nasser Al-Thani. The countries are indeed developing documents to strengthen cooperation, but signing an agreement to raise the status of relations is not yet on the agenda, the Russian side said. Qatar has recently become an important partner for Moscow in the Middle East, especially given Doha's active mediation role in the settlement of regional conflicts. In addition, the monarchy can significantly improve logistics for Russia by connecting to the North-South international transportation corridor.

Russia and Qatar could become strategic partners

Qatar is considered one of the most politically active countries in the Middle East. Doha is interested in a strategic partnership with Russia, Qatar's Ambassador to Moscow Ahmed bin Nasser Al-Thani told Izvestia.

- Russia and Qatar have long-standing, traditionally friendly relations based on mutual respect, understanding and mutual benefit. Therefore, our relations are strong. These relations are developing under the leadership of our leaders: His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. We are working to develop these relations to reach the level of strategic partnership," he said.

The Russian Embassy in Qatar also confirmed to Izvestia the work on deepening bilateral relations. They told about the drafts of the relevant documents, but there is no talk yet about a specific agreement on strategic partnership.

- The issue of giving official status to Russian-Qatari relations as strategic relations is not being discussed at the current stage. However, a number of draft bilateral documents are under consideration, the signing of which will undoubtedly contribute to the strengthening of the legal framework of Russian-Qatari relations, - said the Russian Mission in Doha.

Strategic partnership is a level between simple partnership and alliance. It is based on common political values and long-term joint plans in various areas, including economy or cultural and humanitarian sphere.

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It is important to note that Russia and Qatar are developing political dialog at the highest level. It is known that Moscow and Doha are discussing the date of President Vladimir Putin's trip to Qatar, as well as the time of the Qatari emir's visit to Russia. The last time politicians met in Astana at the SCO summit in July this year. Vladimir Putin said then that relations between the countries are built on a friendly basis.

This, among other things, demonstrates Qatar's active participation in such a sensitive issue for Russia as the reunification of families separated because of the Ukrainian conflict. Representatives from the country participate in negotiations with the Ukrainian side, accompany children and relatives, and bear transportation and other expenses. Thus, over the past two years, more than 100 children have returned to their relatives. Back in Astana, Vladimir Putin thanked Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani for his efforts to resolve humanitarian issues. "It is through your mediation that we manage to return children to their families - both from the Russian and Ukrainian sides," the Russian president said. The latest family reunification ceremonies took place just recently - on November 27 and 28 at the Qatari Embassy in Moscow.

The country is also a significant partner for Russia in the Middle East, especially in the context of dynamic changes in the global order. Against the backdrop of the worsening Syrian crisis, Qatar hosted the Doha Forum on December 7-8 to discuss ways to resolve the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic. Doha also hosted a meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov, Hakan Fidan and Abbas Araqchi on Syria (within the framework of the Astana format).

- Qatar has become an important center of diplomatic initiatives in the region. Its ability to act as a negotiator in conflicts, including the Syrian crisis, the situation in Afghanistan, and the Palestinian-Israeli issue, makes it an important partner for Russia, whose influence has grown significantly in the region over the past decade. Cooperation with Qatar allows Russia to maintain a balance between the interests of regional players and strengthen its own presence," Farhad Ibragimov, an expert at the Center for Middle East Studies and a lecturer at the PFUR Economics Department, told Izvestia.

It is possible that Qatar could become an intermediary in the political settlement of the situation in Syria after Bashar al-Assad left the presidency and the country itself.

Where else Moscow and Doha cooperate

The friendly nature of bilateral relations between Russia and Qatar has a positive impact not only on the political track, but also in other key areas.

- Russia-Qatar relations demonstrate progressive development in all areas. There is still potential for further expansion of cooperation both in trade, economic and political as well as in the cultural and humanitarian spheres. We note with satisfaction the mutual interest in closer cooperation," the Russian Embassy in Qatar told Izvestia.

As Vladimir Putin pointed out earlier, the trade turnover between the two countries is small, but there is a good prospect. In 2022, the volume of trade in comparison with the previous year, of course, decreased due to difficulties with settlements, but now the situation is equalizing - after all, part of mutual settlements now goes in national currencies.

It is possible to increase trade turnover due to Qatar's increased demand for Russian agricultural products. The Middle East in general is very interested in food exports from Russia. This year the Ministry of Agriculture noted that Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE are also increasing their purchases. It is not surprising that halal products are becoming especially popular.

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As for Qatar, for example, in the first half of 2024 the volume of mutual trade in agricultural products has already increased by almost 50% compared to the previous year. According to the Russian Ambassador to Qatar Dmitry Dogadkin, the Middle Eastern country is interesting to Russian business not only as a final supply point, but also as a logistics hub for exports to third countries, which, of course, is now extremely important against the background of a complicated geopolitical situation and a huge number of Western sanctions.

In this context, the North-South ITC project, which Russia is actively developing, will come in handy. Moscow expects Qatar to join the transportation corridor, and Doha expresses interest in the project. Trade routes can also be laid in Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen and even Sri Lanka. Thus, the countries of Africa, South Asia, and Oceania will be in relative proximity.

Russia and Qatar are also linked by investment interests. The parties seek to increase the volume of mutual investments: at the moment Qatari investments in the Russian economy and projects reach about $13 billion. Last August, Dmitry Dogadkin said that the countries are working on joint projects worth more than 160 billion rubles (about $1.5 billion). This is a cooperation between the Qatar Investment Agency (QIA), which is one of Rosneft's largest shareholders (it owns 19% of its securities), and the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

Qatar's participation as one of the world's most important investors in Russian infrastructure and energy projects opens up new opportunities for the Russian economy. The fact that the countries are key players in the energy market cannot be overlooked.

- For Russia as the largest gas exporter, interaction with Qatar makes it possible to take into account global trends, especially in the LNG sector, where Qatar holds a leading position," Farhad Ibragimov explained.

According to the expert, given the close cooperation in the economy and the desire to deepen both external and internal ties, it can be assumed that the countries are capable of becoming strategic partners, at least in the medium term.