Russiaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 19 February 2025Qatar’s Emir Tamim Meets Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Says He Relies on Russia for Hormuz Crisis
5 West AsianPhoto: Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Qatar relies on Russia to resolve the Hormuz Strait crisis. Gaza humanitarian catastrophe continues.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Putin Opens Gas Exporting Countries Forum Summit in Moscow, Qatar Emir Backs Energy Security →
Putin meets Tamim
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on the sidelines of the eighth summit of heads of state and government of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and he said, “We rely on Russia to resolve the crisis of the Hormuz Strait.” Sheikh Tamim told the meeting that “the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is still ongoing,” while he linked the Middle East’s difficulties to “the tension between the United States and Iran.”
The Royal Court said the meeting, held at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow today, Tuesday, addressed “the strong friendship and cooperation between the two countries” and ways to strengthen it in various fields. Putin said energy market stability depends on coordination between Russia and Qatar, and he said Moscow continues to coordinate with Qatar, which he described as playing a mediating role in a number of crises, especially in the Gulf region.
Moscow as mediator
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said at a joint press conference in Moscow that “We rely on Russia to resolve the crisis of the Hormuz Strait and alleviate the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip.” Ibrahim Al-Hashimi, Director of the Media and Communications Department at the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said, “Iran should show goodwill and stop threats against the Gulf states to make mediation efforts succeed.”
The Al-Modon account of the talks described meetings in Moscow that brought together Putin, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian amid ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran and diplomatic efforts to contain escalation. The Al-Modon account also quoted researcher Raslan Suleimanov, affiliated with a center linked to the Russian opposition Mikhail Khodorkovsky, saying the importance of the meeting lay in its “mere occurrence,” and it said Moscow had proven a “comfortable platform” for such meetings.
Energy stakes and next steps
Putin said his country has called since the beginning of the dispute with Iran for a ceasefire and a political and diplomatic solution, and he said the “Islamabad memorandum, signed in June with mediation by Qatar and Pakistan” still forms an important basis for pushing negotiations between the United States and Iran. The Al-Modon account said Putin stressed the importance of coordinating between Russia and Qatar to ensure the stability of the global energy markets, and it stated that bilateral trade between the two countries rose by 10 percent, though it remains modest in absolute value.
The Al-Modon account also said Putin told the Emir of Qatar that Moscow is ready to do all it can to help resolve the complex situations in the Middle East, praising Doha’s role in mediation to address crises, especially in the Gulf region. In the same reporting, Putin said work is ongoing on the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, and it said trade between Russia and Iran rose by 10.4% in the first eight months of the current year.