According to Xinhua News Agency, Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani traveled to the Russian capital Moscow to discuss the JCPOA negotiations with the Russian side and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and Mohammed met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Qatar sent people to visit Russia on their own initiative for consultations
After the outbreak of the Conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the international energy market fell into great turmoil, natural gas prices and oil prices continued to rise, and the epidemic itself had a serious impact on the economies of various countries, which led to huge economic pressure on countries. Mainly, the United States and European countries have imposed severe sanctions on Russia, of which the United States is also ready to attack the Russian energy field, and also clamored that European countries have also joined the ranks of energy sanctions against Russia, but most European countries have not expressed their position on this, mainly because these countries have a high degree of dependence on Russian energy.
However, in recent days, a move by Germany shows that the country may be working to get rid of its dependence on Russian energy, and the country has taken the initiative to seek help from Qatar, hoping that Qatar can provide more natural gas for Germany, so that the country will naturally reduce the demand for Russian natural gas. In fact, in recent times, the United States is also issuing invitations to many countries in the Middle East, hoping that these countries can increase production and stabilize the international energy market.
Qatar did not respond directly to Germany's request and was in discussions with the country accordingly. However, one unexpected thing is that Qatar actually sent someone to Russia to visit and consult with the country on the Ukrainian issue, which is not the right mood of the United States, France and Britain. Qatar's move is a clear indication that the country's next decision may be influenced by The Russian side's opinion.
In fact, Qatar is also doing this in order not to offend any country, to say that russia's influence in the Middle East has actually increased significantly, while the influence of the United States and Western countries is weakening. Of course, neither the United States nor Russia is the object that Qatar wants to offend, so the country's visit to Russia to consult with it this time is also to be able to obtain the approval of the Russian side, after all, acting hastily at a critical moment such as the Russian-Ukrainian conflict may give the Russian side the illusion that Qatar supports the United States and Western countries. What's more, the country did not completely reject the Request of the German side, but it was not an easy task to achieve.
Qatar cannot fully meet the needs of European countries
For example, Russia's largest energy partner has always been Europe, and for Qatar, their natural gas is basically imported into Asian countries. It is true that these countries can also increase energy production and send more natural gas to European countries, including Germany, but it is difficult to fully meet the needs of these countries, and the country is undoubtedly competing with Russia for business, which will also be a major risk to the stability of the country.
In such a situation, taking the lead in discussions with Russia, or committing to the role of a mediator, is actually more conducive to the country's survival among the great powers. It has to be said that Qatar's choice is actually very wise, which is why the country has always maintained good relations with other countries.
But to be honest, European countries, including Germany, want to truly decouple from Russia's energy, which is almost impossible, or impossible to achieve in a short period of time. Germany and other countries also know this, so they will explicitly reject the requirements of the United States to sanction Russia's energy sector, and energy cooperation between Russia and Europe may continue.