Qatar emir tells Putin Doha relies on Russia to resolve Hormuz crisis

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit. He also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Moscow.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks at the Kremlin on October 27 on the sidelines of the eighth summit of heads of state and government of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Moscow.

The Qatari emir said relations between the two countries were “strong, well-established and historic,” noting that the current tensions between the United States and Iran were having a negative impact on the entire region, including the Strait of Hormuz crisis and the energy crisis. He added that Doha was relying on Russia to resolve the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the region's other crises, foremost among them the Palestinian issue and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Putin said Russia and Qatar were among the world's largest producers and exporters of natural gas, and that the stability of the global energy market depended heavily on their coordination. He noted that trade had grown by 10 percent and that the Qatar Investment Authority had contributed to the capital of Rosneft and VTB Bank.

A previous meeting between the Qatari emir and the Russian president at the Kremlin (archive)

The Russian president praised Qatar's mediating role in crises in the Gulf region, saying that the Islamabad memorandum signed in June through Qatari and Pakistani mediation remained the basis for advancing negotiations on Iran.

On the sidelines of the same summit, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Moscow. Putin also held a separate meeting with Pezeshkian, during which he said trade between Russia and Iran had increased by 10.4 percent in the first eight months of the year and that construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant was continuing.