The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said in an interview with the French magazine Le Point that Iran is an “important country” for his country, calling on other Gulf states at odds with the Islamic Republic to “dialogue” with him. He believed that “Iran is a very important country for us. We have historical relations, and moreover, we share the main gas field that we have with Iran.”

He added: “We call on all members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iran to engage in dialogue. Of course, there are disagreements… But we have to sit down and discuss these differences, directly between us and the Iranians, without outside interference.”

Responding to a question about European sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad felt that “we should be careful about the types of sanctions that make things difficult for the whole world,” while adding that “it does not judge , Europe is mistaken or mistaken. “That’s right, and we see the problems caused by the lack of energy in Europe today,” stressing the need to “find a solution” to the war in Ukraine and stop it.

He said that his country, one of the world’s leading gas producers, “will supply gas to Europe in the coming years,” but stressed that this gas “cannot replace Russian gas.”

The Emir of Qatar spoke about the normalization of relations between a number of Arab countries, led by the UAE, with Israel and said: “Each country has the right to establish relations with the countries it wants, but what is normalization with Israel? Seriously, is everything okay? No, they are still occupying Arab lands, and the refugees have not returned to their homes for seventy years.”

He stressed the importance of reaching a “peaceful settlement” of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He added: “We are talking to the Israelis and helping the people of Gaza and the West Bank,” expressing regret “because we are still far away” from the world.

Regarding the conflict in Syria, where Qatar initially supported opposition groups against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Emir of Qatar emphasized the importance of the “peace process” but criticized the regime, saying: “How can we tolerate the fact that the leader commits massacres against his people and expels millions of refugees from his country?