Albares meets Qatar’s Prime Minister in Doha to reaffirm the excellent bilateral relationship

PRESS RELEASE 154

Albares meets Qatar's Prime Minister in Doha to reaffirm the excellent bilateral relationship

• He also meets the CEO of the Qatar Investment Authority to boost economic cooperation and investment​
  

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, held a meeting this Saturday in Doha, in the context of the Forum, with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, His Highness Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. The meeting comes after the last face-to-face contact at the Madrid+ Meeting on 25 May and the telephone conversation of 11 September, following the attacks on Doha.

Bilateral relations: a growing strategic pa​rtnership

Albares and Al-Thani reaffirmed the excellent bilateral relationship between Spain and Qatar, reflected in the impetus behind the bilateral Strategic Dialogue. Both sides have agreed to hold the next edition as soon as possible -after it had to be postponed due to the Iranian attacks in June-, which will include new working groups requested, among them international cooperation and health, areas that allow for further deepening of the strategic partnership.

The Qatari announcement that 2029 will be designated unilaterally as the "Cultural Year of Spain and Portugal in Qatar" was received with particular satisfaction by Minister Albares, as it represents an excellent opportunity to bring societies closer together, strengthen cultural cooperation and showcase Spain's creative diversity in Qatar.

The meeting also highlighted the growing economic cooperation between the two countries. Qatar is now the second-largest Gulf investor in Spain and plays a significant role in key sectors of the Spanish economy. Concurrently, Spanish companies are actively involved in the modernisation of Qatari infrastructure and services and are contributing to the realisation of Qatar National Vision 2030. In this context, Albares underlined the advancement of the agreement between COFIDES and the Qatar Investment Authority as a priority, to channel Qatari investment in Spain.

Before meeting the Qatari Prime Minister, Albares held a working session with the CEO of the Qatar Investment Authority, Mohammad Al-Sowaidi, precisely to make progress in this area. The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar. Albares and Al-Sowaidi discussed ways to foster cooperation in strategic sectors related to the green and digital transition and advanced technologies.

International sit​​uation: recognising Qatar's role and the need for progress on Palestine

With regard to Palestine, Albares reiterated to Prime Minister Al-Thani the urgency of advancing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803 as a path towards peace and the two-State solution. The minister stressed that it is essential to establish a clear roadmap with concrete, irreversible measures applied within verifiable timeframes in order to sustain the current political momentum. In this process, he emphasised, the presence of the Palestinian Authority in all transitional mechanisms must be a non-negotiable priority.

Minister Albares thanked Prime Minister Al-Thani for Qatar's continued, indispensable efforts, despite the threats and attacks it has suffered, to contain escalation, facilitate contacts and open channels for dialogue across the region. He also expressed his appreciation for Qatar's decisive role as a mediator in seeking solutions to conflicts in the Middle East, as well as in other parts of the world. In this regard, he congratulated the Prime Minister on the mediation efforts hosted in Doha, which on Friday enabled the agreement reached in Colombia, a process in which Spain also participates.

Shared com​​mitment

The meeting concluded with Spain and Qatar reaffirming their commitment to continue working together to strengthen their bilateral relationship and to build regional peace and stability. Both sides expressed their willingness to make progress across all areas of cooperation and to maintain a permanent political dialogue that consolidates the progress achieved.

Doha Fo​​rum

Minister Albares took part on Saturday in the Doha Forum, speaking in two separate panels. In the first, "Mediation in a Time of Fragmentation", moderated by CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, Albares discussed the role of diplomatic mediation in the current geopolitical context, alongside the Prime Minister of Qatar, His Highness Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani; the Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan; and the EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas. In the second panel, on "The Present and Future of Gaza", Albares spoke with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, and the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, and defended the two-State solution as the only road to peace in the region.

For images of the event, click here.​

-NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION-