Save the platform: Qatar is ready to become a platform for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine
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- Save the platform: Qatar is ready to become a platform for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine
Qatar is ready to provide a platform for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine if the parties express such a desire. The country's ambassador to Moscow, Ahmed bin Nasser Al-Thani, told Izvestiya. According to the diplomat, the issue of mediation in conflicts in order to achieve a peaceful settlement is at the top of Doha's foreign policy priorities. On November 27-28, the Qatari Embassy in Moscow hosted a ceremony of reuniting children with relatives in Ukraine. Doha intends to continue its humanitarian mission, the Ambassador emphasized. The expert community notes that in addition to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman are actively claiming the role of mediators in the conflict settlement.
Qatar will provide a platform for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine
Qatar plays a key role in the issue of reuniting families separated amid the Ukrainian conflict. With its help, more than 100 children have been returned to their families over the past two years. The latest reunification ceremonies took place on November 27 and 28 at the Qatari embassy in Moscow. Representatives of the country participate in negotiations with the Ukrainian side, accompany children and relatives, as well as bear transportation and other expenses.
The ambassador of the state of Qatar to Russia, Ahmed bin Nasser Al-Thani, told Izvestia that Doha intends to continue its humanitarian mission.
- We always call for peace and the resolution of conflicts and any disagreements through peaceful, diplomatic means. Of course, Qatar pays special attention to the process of family reunification, as it is related to ensuring the rights of children," the diplomat said.
At the same time, Qatar's mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine may go beyond the return of children. Ahmed bin Nasser Al-Thani emphasized that Doha was ready to provide a platform for peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.
- The issue of mediation in conflicts in order to achieve a peaceful settlement between the parties is at the top of the priorities of the foreign policy of the State of Qatar. Therefore, we are ready to play the role of a mediator and provide a platform for peaceful negotiations between any conflicting parties, including negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, if the parties express such a desire," the ambassador said.
In October, Western media reported that Moscow and Kiev allegedly held secret talks mediated by Qatar to stop strikes on each other's energy infrastructure. However, the information about this was never confirmed. Later, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, Andriy Yermak, said that Kiev was ready to consider the possibility of concluding an agreement with Russia on stopping strikes on energy infrastructure facilities, in particular, with the mediation of Qatar. However, there was no reaction (at least publicly) to Yermak's words from Doha. Russia, on the other hand, appreciates Qatar's efforts to build a dialog with Ukraine.
- Qatar takes an equidistant position on the conflict in Ukraine, advocating for a speedy resolution of the crisis through political and diplomatic methods. Qatari partners look at the situation soberly and understand that the settlement through inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, which the collective West seeks, is impossible and, most importantly, not in their interests," Russian Ambassador to Doha Dmitriy Dogadkin said earlier in an interview.
The diplomat emphasized that Qatar is interested in a real multipolar world and agrees that the West should take into account Russia's just security concerns.
A number of experts believe that Qatar is unlikely to eventually become a full-fledged mediator in the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, although it is making a serious contribution to resolving humanitarian issues between the parties to the conflict.
- Despite the fact that relations have now been normalized and our countries quite often hold various events and strengthen bilateral relations in various aspects, Qatar is still considered one of the main allies of the United States in the Middle East," Murad Sadigzadeh, President of the Center for Middle East Studies, Head of the Center for Education and Cooperation of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained to Izvestia. - Today we see a certain turn toward diversifying its foreign relations with Russia and China, but in general Qatar is still perceived as a country that is closer to the Western orbit.
However, Dmitry Polyakov of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences believes that Qatar "in theory could take on the role of a mediator." But at the same time, he said, one should not forget that Doha is also actively engaged in resolving the war in Gaza.
Which countries could become a platform for negotiations
Immediately after the start of the SWO, the first site for negotiations was Belarus - it was there that the first and second Minsk agreements were concluded in 2014-2015. However, the baton of mediator was soon passed to Turkey. The result of the negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine was the Istanbul agreements, which were initialed by Kiev. However, Kiev later refused to dialog with Moscow, and even a decree was adopted prohibiting negotiations with the Russian leadership. As the head of the Ukrainian delegation, the leader of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada, David Arahamiya, admitted, the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised them to give up contacts with Russia.
- In 2022, Turkey tried to play the role of a mediator, and the Grain Deal was concluded under its auspices. Today, however, Ankara's influence has declined. Against this backdrop, the importance and influence of the Arabian monarchies are growing. For example, the UAE is constantly making efforts to negotiate and conduct a prisoner exchange, which makes the Abu Dhabi negotiating platform quite realistic. Saudi Arabia is also a potential country," Dmitry Polyakov told Izvestia.
In October, Russian President Vladimir Putin described Saudi Arabia as a comfortable platform for talks on a settlement in Ukraine. However, he emphasized the importance of the substantive part of the event. By the way, Riyadh is ready for a mediatory role and has the relevant developments. Saudi Arabia is actively involved in the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine and prisoners between Moscow and Western countries. The UAE plays an important role in the exchanges. For example, with the assistance of Abu Dhabi, 95 Russian servicemen were returned to the Russian Federation in October. In return, Kiev received the same number of Ukrainian military personnel.
- Another possible option is Oman, which has proven its neutral position in practice. All the more so because the state has a well-tested toolkit at its disposal. For many years Muscat has been playing the role of a mediator in various Middle East crises and conflicts," says Dmitry Polyakov.
It is worth noting that Russia has always supported the political and diplomatic way of resolving the Ukrainian crisis. At the same time, the West continues to raise the stakes in the military confrontation with Russia: a serious step towards escalation was the approval by the US, UK and France to use long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory. Russia's response was to strike a military plant in Dnepropetrovsk on November 21 with a medium-range Oreshnik ballistic missile.
Speaking at a meeting of the CSTO Council in Astana on November 28, Vladimir Putin pointed to the illegitimacy of the Ukrainian authorities - Vladimir Zelensky's five-year presidential term ended on May 20. By the way, it remains unclear when the Ukrainian authorities intend to hold new elections for the head of state. "From the legal point of view, they do not even have the right to give orders to the armed forces, as they are usurpers of power," the Russian leader added. Nevertheless, the Russian Federation is ready for negotiations on Ukraine on the terms that were outlined in June this year at a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian leader said.
At that time, Vladimir Putin formulated a number of conditions for launching the peace process. Among them is the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territory of the LNR, DNR, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions, and within their administrative borders, which existed at the time of their entry into Ukraine. Moscow is also ready to start peace talks with Kiev if it officially announces its refusal to join NATO. Other conditions include the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, Kiev's recognition of the new regions (including Crimea and Sevastopol) as part of Russia, and the lifting of all Western sanctions.