The Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani participated in Chatham House’s Event on “Qatar’s regional and international role.” Dr Robin Niblett CMG, Director and Chief Executive of Chatham House, chaired the conversation.

On a regional scale, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) The Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani noted the marked shift to becoming a more active organization, in particular on the issue of Afghanistan where “the GCC had close coordination, along with our colleagues from different countries.” His Excellency reiterated the positive momentum to further strengthen the GCC and its people as “all the leaders of the GCC are forward-looking right now to ensure we are creating a better future.”

His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said “Qatar’s foreign policy is based on the principle of enhancing international peace and security by encouraging the resolution of international conflict.” We [The State of Qatar] carry out this mission through mediation, humanitarian and developmental aid and counter terrorism.”

In their exchange on international affairs they discussed steps taken by the State of Qatar to stabilise the situation in Afghanistan and the ongoing diplomatic efforts to manage relations with the Taliban. They discussed the developing impact of the transitional process in Afghanistan on the State of Qatar and the wider Middle East. The Foreign Minister told Chatham House that “Qatar cannot go into Afghanistan and regenerate or recapitalize their economy and just bring back the systems on its own.” Qatar has often stressed the need for international cooperation to tackle international problems and the solution to the crisis in Afghanistan is no different.

 

HE emphasised that the solution to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan will be a long term project. “This is a long journey.” The Foreign Minister said, “It won't happen in one day. We will be realistic. We need to make sure that we keep engaging with them [The Taliban], we keep encouraging and urging them on reforms, we keep urging them not to reverse any of the things that Afghanistan has achieved in the past 20 years and urging them to engage in a genuine reconciliation process.” Furthermore His Excellency made it clear, in line with Qatar’s Foreign Policy Principles that Afghanistan “needs a collective effort by the international community, by our international partners, and this is something that we are in very close consultation on with different partners in order to provide the blueprint for the way forward.”

 

 

The Foreign Minister also addressed ongoing concerns in Europe about energy security. He said “Qatar has been working closely with global partners to develop long term solutions to meet the energy needs of the world.” Importantly HE the Foreign Minister made clear that Qatar cannot unilaterally deliver global energy security but that the issue’s solution needs ongoing and extensive international cooperation. The Foreign Minister made clear that “Discussions should be about how we can approach this issue in collaboration with other countries and with trading partners, to make sure that gas is delivered to consumers and to maintain the affordability of this source of energy production.”

 

 

On renewable energy and its role in energy security Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told Chatham House that “Qatar has remained as a reliable source of energy. We are trying to make the world cleaner and safer, and this is what LNG has demonstrated.”

 

He encouraged other nations to begin the process of shifting to renewable energy saying “the shift to renewable energy is a journey that everyone should take, including the producers of fossil fuels. It's a journey that a lot of countries are beginning to realise.”