A peace agreement was signed between the Taliban and the United States in Doha 4 years ago (Reuters)
With a distinguished international reputation and accumulated experience in resolving conflicts through diplomacy that observers describe as balanced and reliable, Qatar stands out as a globally effective country in calming conflicts and finding solutions to many regional and international crises by managing negotiations with great professionalism.
Qatar has a large record of important successes in mediations with complex files, which has given it a diplomatic dimension in the most important issues and challenges in the world, from Darfur and Chad to Lebanon, passing through Washington, Iran, Russia and Ukraine, all the way to Gaza through long-term and interim mediations.
Despite the neutrality and reliability in the performance of its diplomacy, and its diplomats in the implementation of its mediations, Qatar was not spared from the attacks of some right-wing extremists in the governments of some countries and launched a systematic smear campaign against them, but Doha, according to experts, exercised strategic patience and did not be drawn into propaganda, and maintained its diplomatic goals of achieving Stability and strengthening the concept of comprehensive peace.
We strongly condemn the statements attributed to the Israeli Prime Minister in various media reports about the Qatari mediation. If the statements prove true, they are irresponsible and obstruct efforts to save innocent lives, but they are not surprising.
Months ago, after successful mediation last year led to the release of…
- Dr. Majid Mohammed Al Ansari Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) January 24, 2024
Professional diplomacy
Ali Bakir, professor of international affairs, security and defense at Qatar University, says that Doha has a long history of mediation, good offices, and conflict resolution, and because of the geographical and geopolitical realities surrounding Qatar, professional diplomacy is considered the focus of Qatari foreign policy and a fundamental pillar of the state’s national security.
Bakker confirmed in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that over the past decades, mediation has turned into a milestone in Qatari diplomatic work. This has placed Qatar under the international spotlight, and made resorting to it an urgent need in light of the flaming conflicts regionally and internationally. This also secured it a distinguished position and gave birth to Doha. Soft power at the global level.
Dr. Ali Bakir believes that there are several factors behind the ability of Qatari diplomacy to exercise the mediation role with high efficiency, which are:
The integrity and reliability of its efforts.
Her ability to communicate with different and conflicting parties at the same time.
Its ability to achieve positive results that ensure the mitigation, containment and resolution of conflicts.
Ensuring achieving security and stability.
Her long experience in the field of mediation and conflict resolution.
The ability of its diplomats to deal with different situations.
The confidence of senior players in their role and in their ability to achieve the desired results.
🇵🇸🇶🇦| The Shura Council welcomes the success of Qatari mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel to bring medicines and a shipment of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
He praises the country's firm position under the leadership of His Highness the Emir, may God protect him, towards the Palestinian issue and its efforts to support the brothers in #Palestine #Nadeeb_Qatar | #Qatar 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/AjffBDj1uh
- Nadeeb Qatar (@NadeebQa) January 22, 2024
The same spokesman explained that the interest of the State of Qatar requires the necessity of achieving regional security and stability, and gaining the confidence of major players at the international level, and their belief in its ability to achieve positive results in the field of reducing tension and resolving conflicts, especially in light of the state of instability and explosive conflicts in more than one place in the country. the world.
In this context, the professor of international affairs, security and defense at Qatar University points out that when the Israeli war broke out on Gaza, the parties involved in this conflict, as well as those supporting it, had no choice but to resort to the State of Qatar to play a mediation role.
He said, "Despite the number of difficulties and challenges facing Qatari diplomacy and diplomats, Doha was able to achieve several successes, and the desire of some to obstruct its role, increase political pressure on it, and distort its reputation in the media did not deter it from exerting redoubled efforts in order to try to achieve a permanent ceasefire, exchange prisoners, and reach a solution." To a comprehensive deal.
Qatar announces the success of the process of reuniting Ukrainian children with their families in Ukraine #Qatar_Foreign Affairs pic.twitter.com/Yy6Exlgsrn
- Qatari Foreign Ministry (@MofaQatar_AR) October 16, 2023
Mediation without agenda
For his part, Ali Al Kubaisi, professor of international law at Lusail University, said that the international community has become clearly aware of the importance of the State of Qatar as a key player and mediator in resolving international or regional disputes through diplomacy.
Al-Kubaisi stated in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net that Qatar’s strategy in settling international disputes is based on several basic pillars, perhaps the most important of which is Qatar’s adoption of a policy of neutrality between the conflicting parties, whatever they may be, in order to achieve the ultimate goals of diplomacy, which is reaching the most effective solutions, and without the State of Qatar having any agendas. Without interfering in any internal affairs.
Al-Kubaisi pointed out Qatar’s constant endeavor to promote the concept of comprehensive and lasting peace in order to achieve international peace and security, and this is clear through the mediations it carried out during previous periods, which covered approximately 10 files of complex issues, whether at the regional or international level, and is the best witness to that. The US-Afghan agreement in February 2020.
The professor of international law at Lusail University pointed out that the Qatari diplomatic role and diligent mediation in stopping the Israeli aggression against Gaza is no secret. Since the beginning of the armed conflict, the State of Qatar has called on all parties to exercise restraint and exercise reason to avoid disastrous consequences not only for the Gaza Strip, but for the entire region. And the international family.
He adds that Qatar sought, through diplomatic efforts at the highest levels, to stop the Israeli attack on Gaza, and the first successes were reaching an agreement between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" to release some hostages and prisoners, in addition to its effective role in bringing medicines and humanitarian aid to civilians.
#Qena_Video |
The official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms that #Qatari_mediation efforts to stop the war on the #Gaza Strip are still ongoing in communication with various regional and international parties #Qena #Qatar #Palestine pic.twitter.com/0tfqJxcfR4
- Qatar News Agency (@QatarNewsAgency) January 23, 2024
International reputation
For his part, researcher at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, Ahmed Qasim Hussein, says that the State of Qatar is one of the most important active countries in the international system in employing preventive diplomacy, mediation, and good offices as a tool in settling regional and international disputes, and Doha has accumulated great experience in the field.
According to what Ahmed Qassem told Al Jazeera Net, Doha made great efforts to mitigate the political, economic and humanitarian effects of many of the aggravating crises internationally and regionally, and there are many examples of this (Palestine, Afghanistan, Sudan, Lebanon...) and finally Qatari efforts were crowned with the success of mediation in a prisoner exchange deal. between the United States and Iran, in addition to the mediation role between Ukraine and Russia, which resulted in the return of a group of children to their families.
Qassem added that Doha has achieved a distinguished international reputation in the field of mediation and dispute settlement, which reflects the great development in Qatari state institutions to deal with mediation efforts, and at the same time reflects the great experience possessed by diplomatic cadres in managing these negotiations and mediation professionally and effectively.
The researcher at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies confirmed that although the State of Qatar was subjected to a systematic smear campaign regarding its role in mediation between the resistance forces and Israel, Doha exercised a kind of strategic patience, and did not fall into the propaganda practiced by Israeli politicians in the current government, and it set a main goal. Represented by the necessity of working to achieve a ceasefire, release prisoners, and alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
Qassem explained that the experience accumulated by the diplomatic staff in the various Qatari state institutions, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contributed to continuing the work to reach an agreement between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, and in addition to that, the American administration, along with a group of international and regional powers, realizes the importance of Qatari mediation for considerations related to reliability. On the one hand, the credibility enjoyed by the Qatari side, and its ability to manage negotiations efficiently and effectively.
Source: Al Jazeera