Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday…reports Asian Lite News
Qatar News Agency (QNA) said the visit of Al Thani comes at a critical stage due to the conditions the world is experiencing as a result of the escalation in Ukraine, explaining that it includes a discussion of the latest developments in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, as well as a review of the ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve this crisis.
“Qatar is seeking to support the existing international efforts to provide the necessary conditions for a peaceful solution to the crisis,” the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman told Qatar News Agency, pointing out that the visit comes after phone calls between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Ukraine, in addition to discussions held during the minister’s visits to a number of European cities.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held talks with Al Thani and expressed his gratitude to the leadership for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in this dire time of need.
Taking to Twitter, Kuleba wrote, “Call with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the State of Qatar @MBA_AlThani_.We discussed ways to end Russia’s barbaric aggression against Ukraine. Grateful to Qatar for stepping up humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine.”
Calling the Russian war in Ukraine ‘brutal’ and ‘unprovoked’, earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke with the Qatari FM over the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.
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“Spoke with Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ yesterday about the urgent need for Russia to end its brutal and unprovoked war on Ukraine. I also thanked Qatar for continued assistance with Afghanistan diplomacy,” Blinken wrote in a tweet.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republic requested help in ‘defending themselves.’ The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.
The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia’s operation in Ukraine. (with inputs from ANI)