Qatar–Russia relations
Encyclopedia
Qatar–Russia relations refers to bilateral
foreign relations
between the two countries, Qatar
and Russia
.
's lead, Qatar refused for many years to have diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union
. This changed in the summer of 1988, when diplomatic relations between the two states were established on 2 August. The Soviet Union opened its embassy in Doha
on 12 November 1989, and Qatar opened its embassy in Moscow
on 14 November 1989.
. Russia has an embassy in Doha, and Qatar has an embassy in Moscow. The current Ambassador of Russia to Qatar is Andrey Vladimirovich Andreyev, who was appointed by President Vladimir Putin
on 17 July 2005. The current Ambassador of Qatar to Russia is Ahmed Saif Al-Midhadi, who appointed his Letters of Credence to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
on 27 February 2009.
was assassinated in Qatar on 13 February 2004
. On the third anniversary of Yandarbiyev's death, Russian President Vladimir Putin
travelled to Qatar on a state visit
, where he was received by Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
along with halal reindeer meat.
Bilateralism
Bilateralism consists of the political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. For example, free trade agreements signed by two states are examples of bilateral treaties. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which refers to the conduct of diplomacy by a...
foreign relations
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
between the two countries, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Soviet-era relations
Following Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
's lead, Qatar refused for many years to have diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. This changed in the summer of 1988, when diplomatic relations between the two states were established on 2 August. The Soviet Union opened its embassy in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
on 12 November 1989, and Qatar opened its embassy in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
on 14 November 1989.
Diplomatic ties
On 26 December 1991, Qatar recognised the Russian Federation as the successor state to the Soviet Union, after the latter's dissolutionDissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
. Russia has an embassy in Doha, and Qatar has an embassy in Moscow. The current Ambassador of Russia to Qatar is Andrey Vladimirovich Andreyev, who was appointed by President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
on 17 July 2005. The current Ambassador of Qatar to Russia is Ahmed Saif Al-Midhadi, who appointed his Letters of Credence to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
on 27 February 2009.
Political ties
Relations became strained after Zelimkhan YandarbiyevZelimkhan Yandarbiyev
Zelimkhan Abdumuslimovich Yandarbiyev was a Chechen writer and a politician, who served as acting president of the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria between 1996 and 1997...
was assassinated in Qatar on 13 February 2004
Assassination of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev
On February 13, 2004, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev was assassinated when a bomb ripped through his SUV in the Qatari capital, Doha. Yandarbiyev was seriously wounded and died in hospital...
. On the third anniversary of Yandarbiyev's death, Russian President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
travelled to Qatar on a state visit
State visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a foreign head of state to another nation, at the invitation of that nation's head of state. State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, and are marked by ceremonial pomp and diplomatic protocol. In parliamentary democracies, heads...
, where he was received by Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
Economic ties
Russian and Quatar gas producers agree to develop oil refineries in Yamal PeninsulaYamal Peninsula
The Yamal Peninsula , located in Yamal-Nenets autonomous district of northwest Siberia, Russia, extends roughly 700 km and is bordered principally by the Kara Sea, Baydaratskaya Bay on the west, and by the Gulf of Ob on the east...
along with halal reindeer meat.