Amir's visit bolstered Qatar-Russia ties: envoy

Ambassador of Qatar to Russia Sheikh Ahmed bin Nasser al-Thani

Ambassador of Qatar to Russia Sheikh Ahmed bin Nasser al-Thani said that the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Moscow in March 2018, and the talks His Highness held with Russian President Vladimir Putin was the most important factor in developing ties between Qatar and Russia, noting that the fact that the two countries are World Cup hosts helped enhance co-operation in more fields. In an interview with Russian daily 'Kommersant', the envoy said that Qatar relies in its foreign relations on the principle of respecting sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs. He noted that the absence of Iran in the Qatari-Turkish-Russian consultative framework cannot be interpreted as a position on Iran, adding that there are a number of issues where silence is no longer possible and there is an urgent need to act, led by the struggle of the Syrian people. The ambassador added that with the nature of the role of each of the countries, the framework came in its current form of three countries. He stressed that no one has any intention to be a substitute for other countries, or to alienate or limit their roles in any way and added that Iran has an active role in the Syrian crisis, noting that Qatar welcomes any role that would help the Syrian people. Explaining that there is a common understanding about the Syrian crisis between Qatar and Russia and that there is a convergence in positions, he indicated that Qatar is working with Russia to end the tragedy of the Syrian people. He also said that the joint desire to work together is much stronger than any contradictions, highlighting that the position was clear, and stressed that the country does not support any extremist groups.