Sunday business dinner between Emmanuel Macron and the Emir of Qatar

French President Emmanuel Macron and the prince from Qatar The Elysee said on Saturday that Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will hold an “individual working dinner” on Sunday in Paris to discuss “bilateral relations” and “regional issues.”

Emmanuel Macron and Prince Al Thani had last spoken by phone on February 27, at the beginning of From the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They will dine in a restaurant in the capital, where the president regularly invites guests outside the Elysee such as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to La Rotonde in Paris in August 2021 or Italian Mario Draghi to Petit Nice in Marseille in September.

Qatar, the future mediator of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict?

Prince Al Thani offered his services this week as a potential mediator in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, recalling that he was “in contact with all parties involved,” during a speech at the Davos Forum. European capitals are also seeking to improve their relationship with Doha as they seek to diversify their gas supplies to reduce their dependence on Russia.

Qatar has the third largest gas reserves in the world. He is also heavily involved in attempts to mediate between the United States and Iran on the difficult Iranian nuclear issue. The last meeting between the two leaders dates back to December 2021, when Emmanuel Macron toured the Gulf states.

World Cup 2022 on the table

Issues of combating terrorism and financing the Islamic faith in France were invited to the list of discussions, as well as preparations for FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar and issues related to labor law in that country. NGO reports accuse Qatar of exploiting foreign workers, particularly in the construction of stadiums. The state strongly rejects these criticisms, asserting that it has reformed the labor law and introduced a minimum wage.

More than that, Amir Al-Thani’s visit comes at a time when the Paris Saint-Germain team, owned by Qatar via a sovereign wealth fund, just celebrated its tenth French championship title and scored the extension of its star player Kylian Mbappe. This visit comes within the framework of a European tour by the Prince, during which he visited Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and the World Economic Forum in Davos.