Qatar Emir to meet Macron in Paris to discuss Israel-Hamas war

The Emir of Qatar, Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani, will make his first visit to Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he will meet French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the Israel-Hamas war.

“This visit will be an opportunity for the two heads of state to congratulate each other on the quality of Franco-Qatari cooperation on all regional and international issues”, the Elysée Palace said in a press release on Monday.

However, the state visit will focus on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, with talks set to be on the release of hostages, ceasefire negotiations and support for humanitarian aid.

“Qatar is working in particular on the release of hostages, which is a priority for us”, the Elysée press release said, referring to three French hostages still held in Gaza.

France and Qatar are also working together to deliver new humanitarian aid, including 10 ambulances, more than 300 tents for Gazans and humanitarian cargo equipment. The two countries successfully delivered medicines to hostages held in Gaza on 17 January.

On Sunday, as part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, France delivered a humanitarian aid consignment worth €1 million to the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population for the treatment of evacuees from Gaza.

Discussions will also focus on the political prospects for the post-war period, with the release calling for “decisive and irreversible progress towards the two-state solution, the only viable solution for the return of peace and security for all”.

“Qatar has always supported respect for international law against Russia’s illegal aggression,” the Elysée said, noting the country’s “important” role in the war in Ukraine and citing its provision of €100 million in humanitarian aid to Ukrainians.

The Elysée also sees the state visit as an opportunity to strengthen relations between the two countries in various fields, including development, the economy, defence, security and culture.

(Clara Bauer-Babef | Euractiv.fr)