Meeting in the Kremlin Palace
According to a statement from the Kremlin Palace, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met on the sidelines of the 24th Summit of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana. Speaking during the press session of the meeting, Putin said that relations between Russia and Qatar were improving and that “dialogue on Qatar’s inclusion in the ‘North-South’ international transport corridor is ongoing.”
Putin’s Assessments
Putin stated that Qatar mediated in the process of resolving humanitarian issues in the Ukraine crisis. “Thanks to your mediation, children on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides can reunite with their families,” Putin said, emphasizing that Qatar played an effective role in the crisis between Hamas and Israel in the Middle East. “Qatar is making efforts to establish a ceasefire and exchange prisoners. This crisis depends on the establishment of two states between Israel and Palestine,” he said.
Statements by Qatar Emir Al Thani
Qatari Emir Al Thani emphasized that relations with Russia are strong and based on mutual respect and trust, saying, “The volume of Qatar’s investments and projects in the Russian economy has reached approximately 13 billion dollars. We aim to increase this figure.” Expressing his concerns about the situation in the Gaza Strip, Al Thani said, “We want the war to stop, the prisoners to be released and the Palestinian state to be established on the 1967 borders.”
Al Thani said that they are in favor of resolving the Ukraine crisis in a way that satisfies both sides.
