Qatar – Conversation between Catherine Colonna and her Qatari counterpart (Paris, 11 Jul. 2022)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna hosted her Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani, for a working lunch during his visit to Paris for the Choose France summit, which Ms. Colonna is also attending.

The two ministers highlighted the excellent relationship between France and Qatar, illustrated by the high number of bilateral contacts we have in numerous areas. They reaffirmed their desire to continue expanding the political, economic and energy-related aspects of our strategic partnership. They discussed the prospect of strengthening French-Qatari economic relations, among other things, through mutual investments in productive and forward-looking sectors. They also discussed stepping up our cooperation on energy supplies.

The ministers also addressed regional and international issues, in particular the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They emphasized the need to revive peace efforts in the Middle East and their commitment to the two-state solution. The ministers discussed the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which is creating a global food crisis and tensions on world oil markets. With regard to Iran, the minister thanked Qatar for its efforts related to discussions on bringing Iran back into the JCPoA, and emphasized the importance of regional dialogue to reduce tensions in the Middle East.

Lastly, the minister thanked Qatar for the role it continues to play in evacuations from Afghanistan and expressed France’s wish to continue coordinating in this area.