by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks on Thursday with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at which the parties discussed the situation in the Middle East, the Ukrainian crisis and bilateral cooperation.
At the beginning of the narrow-format meeting, Vladimir Putin emphasized that relations between Russia and Qatar are strengthening. Qatar, according to the president, is one of Rosneft's key partners. About $1 billion has been invested in Russia through the RDIF (Qatar has invested more than $13 billion in total), but "there are much greater prospects," the Russian leader noted. He recalled how Qatar assisted in obtaining the right to host the Winter Olympics in Sochi, while Russia helped Qatar organize the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The president expressed gratitude for Qatar's assistance in prisoner exchanges, although the Ukrainian crisis was not discussed in detail, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said. "Gratitude was expressed to the Qatari side for assistance in prisoner exchanges, but the topic of Ukraine was not discussed in detail," Peskov told reporters.
THE FATE OF BASES IN SYRIA
The Syrian problem received more attention.
In particular, the Emir of Qatar informed the Russian President about recent contacts with the Syrian leadership:
"As for Syria, a few days ago President al-Sharaa was in Qatar, and we spoke with him about the historical and strategic relations between Syria and Russia. He is interested in building relations between the two countries based on mutual respect."
President Putin, in turn, said that the situation in Syria, which has been rocked by sectarian violence in recent weeks, is of serious importance to Russia. According to Vladimir Putin, there are many problems in the SAR: political, security-related, and purely economic.
“We would like to do everything to ensure that Syria, firstly, remains a sovereign, independent and territorially integral state, and we would like to discuss with you the possibility of providing assistance to the Syrian people, including humanitarian assistance,” he addressed the emir.
In this context, it is important to pay attention to the possibility of using Russian military bases in Syria as humanitarian hubs. In this way, Moscow will be able to change the attitude towards these facilities of that part of the Syrians who opposed Assad and perceived Russian bases exclusively as an element of his support.
Now it is possible to redirect them to humanitarian supplies for Syrians who still need external assistance, including supplies of essential goods and products and food, given the difficult economic situation in the country.
Khmeimim, along with Russian ones, can also receive heavy Qatari C-17 aircraft with humanitarian aid, which will be completely safe at the base itself, and can then be distributed throughout the country.
Thus, the use of Russian facilities to organize humanitarian programs will also change the perception of Russia’s presence in Syria.
In fact, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke about using Russian bases as humanitarian hubs back in January.
GAZA AND IRAN
The two leaders also discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip, where Qatar played a key role in brokering a three-phase ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in January.
Israel resumed its offensive in the enclave in March, and talks to restore the ceasefire have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.
"Qatar, in its role as a mediator, will seek to bring together different points of view in an attempt to reach an agreement that will end the suffering of the Palestinian people," Sheikh Tamim said.
The Russian President, in turn, told the Emir: "We know that Qatar is making very serious efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unfortunately, the initiatives put forward, including by you, have not been implemented - peaceful people continue to die in Palestine, which is an absolute tragedy of today."
Against the backdrop of events in Gaza and the ongoing violence there, humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Qatar in Syria may be supplemented by other initiatives in the area of resolving Middle East conflicts, and official representatives of Russia have also drawn attention to this.
In particular, on the eve of the emir's arrival, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists: " The region is full of conflict potential. And Qatar plays a very large and important role in attempts to resolve many situations."
It is significant that during the visit of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad to the Russian capital, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also arrived.
It is possible that the Emir of Qatar may also convey to the Americans some message from the Iranian side regarding the second round of Iran-US talks to be held in Oman. It may be supported by the views of Moscow and Doha.
MEDIATION AS A PILLAR OF FOREIGN POLICY
The Russian-Qatari dialogue in Moscow can also open a new page of closer cooperation in the field of mediation and conflict resolution. Russia and Qatar could exchange the experience that both countries have. At the same time, the Russian side also has something to learn from the Qataris, who have already accumulated much more experience in such matters and developed an effective methodology.
Qatar's approach to mediation as one of the main pillars of international activity is enshrined in the state's constitution. Doha positions itself as the "Mecca of the oppressed", on the one hand, providing a refuge for various political forces, and on the other, actively participating in the peaceful resolution of disputes between states and organizations.
At the same time, in its mediation activities, the State of Qatar relies on two main foundations: strategic interaction and tactical neutrality.
Strategic engagement means that the relationship with the parties mediated by Doha does not end with the signing of a reconciliation or normalization document. Qatar uses its mediation to cement the strategic nature of its ties with them and continues to develop cooperation in all areas, having gained trust during the mediation.
The second aspect is tactical neutrality, which helps the state to gain this trust. While taking an active position on international platforms, supporting some and condemning others, Qatar must be neutral in the negotiating room and offer options that will suit all parties.
According to the Qataris, mediation is not about providing a platform; it is about proposing and promoting ideas to the parties and backing up words with actions.
In particular, the credibility of Qatar as a mediator in the dialogue with the Taliban was reinforced by the fact that Doha was able to evacuate 120,000 foreigners and supporters of the ousted regime of Ashraf Ghani from Afghanistan. That is, Qatar demonstrated its capabilities and influence, and its mediation efforts became even more credible.
It is also worth recalling that Qatar's mediation efforts extend far beyond the Middle East and include Africa (Congo-Rwanda, Chad, etc.) and even America, where in 2023 Doha acted as a mediator between the US and Venezuela on the exchange of prisoners.
UNDERSTANDING QATAR
The visit of the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad to Moscow, among other things, should bring the parties closer to an even greater understanding and consideration of each other’s interests.
Let us recall that 10-15 years ago, the attitude in Russia towards Qatar was rather negative, many media outlets accused Doha of supporting radical forces in the Middle East, and, conversely, Doha believed that Russia was almost the main enemy of the Islamic world. Now, Russia and Qatar have gotten to know each other much better, and such accusations, if they can be heard, are only heard from the margins.
In this case, it is significant that the exclusion of the Taliban movement from the list of terrorist organizations occurred during Tamim bin Hamad's visit to Moscow. In fact, Moscow and Doha have a common vision of what the "Afghanistan of the future" should look like, and intend to push the Afghan authorities toward reforms and the formation of an inclusive government.
At the same time, Qatar can offer its own successful model of “Islamic democracy” as a “non-Western type” civil society that is based on traditional values and can be an example for Afghanistan.
Since 1995, democracy has permeated all spheres of Qatari society: government ministers and other public officials have taken the initiative and replaced appointed bodies with elected ones where possible, for example in ministerial councils. This has led to talk of a “festival of democracy” (Ayd aldimukratiyyah) sweeping Qatar.
The reforms also affected women's rights, giving them the right to participate in elections and be appointed to government positions. Qatar granted them voting rights at the same time as men in connection with the 1999 elections to the Central Municipal Council. These elections, the first in Qatar, were deliberately held on March 8, 1999, International Women's Day. Finally, on April 29, 2003, the emirate held a referendum on the country's new Constitution.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, the current Emir of Qatar, to whom Hamad bin Khalifa handed over power in 2013, has continued his father's line in foreign and domestic policy.
MODERATE ISLAM AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO AUTHORITARIANISM
Since the 1970s, Qatar has been turning into a “Mecca of the oppressed.” Doha has been inviting Islamic scholars and preachers to its country, including those from Egypt, who were persecuted there but were able to reconcile the tenets of Islam with modernity without destroying the Islamic system.
Sheikh Hamad and then Sheikh Tamim tried to invest in Islamic values such as freedom of religion, freedom of speech and pluralistic socio-political discourse between the emir and the public.
As a result, Doha has not only been able to free itself from the ultra-conservative influence that until recently emanated from Saudi Arabia by overcoming entrenched social norms, liberalizing education and the labor market, and introducing civil liberties, but has also been able to formulate its own ideological justifications for how transformation should be carried out in the Arab and Islamic world as a whole.
Therefore, the state system of Qatar itself, based on religious values, fully meets the demands of modern society. Although Qatar provides for the death penalty for adultery or apostasy, there have been no cases of such death sentences recorded in the country.
And in general, death sentences in Qatar, unlike in the KSA, are extremely rare and are imposed only for particularly serious criminal offenses, despite the large list of acts that provide for the death penalty. The only death sentence in the 21st century was carried out in 2020 for murder.
The emirate also has a punishment of 100 and 40 strokes of the stick for "illegal sexual relations" or for drinking alcohol. But although such regulations exist, they are almost never implemented, since their application is extremely difficult due to numerous medical contraindications, and usually after a medical examination they are replaced by fines.
In fact, Qatar’s role in the events of the “Arab Spring” most clearly shows what principles Doha relied on after Hamid bin Khalifa Al Thani became its ruler, whose line was continued by Emir Tamim bin Hamad.
Qatar's policies during the Arab Spring were neither ideological nor religious, but pragmatic. Qatar's ties to Islamists evolved from the emirate's tradition of providing political asylum to persecuted people and the country's attempt to diversify its foreign policy.
Moreover, there was a widespread belief among senior policymakers in Qatar that moderate political Islam provided the only functional opposition to authoritarianism.
So, when the existing socio-political order of the Arab world collapsed, Qatar perceived Islamist groups as the only available force capable of filling the socio-political void left by failed regimes – at least temporarily.
Qatar is now operating under the same premise as it tries to help Syrians build a post-authoritarian future by calling on the forces in power in Syria to embrace pluralism, civil liberties and socio-political integration.
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Qatar's role in the region remains extremely important. Despite its small size, it can indeed be considered a regional power based on its political weight, resources, and ability to advance its own interests.
And what is especially important for Moscow is that Doha is pursuing an independent foreign policy, developing and strengthening ties with the United States and Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan, Venezuela and Congo, while the Russian Federation is one of the important points of support for Qatar in the region and the world and will remain so in the foreseeable future.