Editing Foreign relations of Qatar (section)

===Peace brokering and peacekeeping activities===
{{See also|Qatar as a mediator in conflict}}[[File:Συμμετοχή ΥΠΕΞ Δ. Δρούτσα σε συνάντηση Ομάδας Επαφής για τη Λιβύη - FM D. Droutsas participates in meeting of Contact Group on Libya (5615843719).jpg|thumb|The First Contact Group Meeting on Libya was held in Doha, Qatar on 3 April 2011]]
The onset of the [[Arab Spring]] in January 2011 complicated Qatar's ability to mediate having forced Gulf leaders to side with revolutionaries or the longstanding autocratic regimes. Sheikh Hamad stated in that Qatar would support the uprisings, a position that clashed with neighboring Saudi Arabia and the [[United Arab Emirates]]. Qatar provided extensive support, in funding and weapons, to [[Libya]]n revolutionaries and aided in the removal of [[Muammar Gaddafi]] by mobilising Arab support behind NATO airstrikes. In Egypt, Qatar supported President [[Mohamed Morsi]] and has suffered from strained relations with President [[Abdel Fattah el-Sisi]] following Morsi's removal.
 
In Syria, Qatar has provided arms and funding to various opposition groups.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f2d9bbc8-bdbc-11e2-890a-00144feab7de.html |title=How Qatar seized control of the Syrian revolution |date=17 May 2013|newspaper=Financial Times}}</ref> Other discoveries from the research claimed that Qatar supported the US against the Assad government. Additionally, the nation supported efforts to mediate a conflict-ending political transition in Syria. In March 2021, Qatar, Russia, and Turkey also started a different track of talks on the Syrian peace process.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14702609 |title=Qatar profile - Timeline |date=3 December 2018|newspaper=bbc.com}}</ref>

According to the [[Royal United Services Institute]], Qatar plays an important role in [[Syria]] and [[Iraq]] as an interlocutor between Western powers and resistant groups that cannot be engaged directly. This role is consistent with Qatar's efforts as an interlocutor with the [[Taliban]] in Afghanistan, hosting a small embassy in [[Doha]] where US officials are able to meet with the Taliban behind closed doors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/25/world/meast/qatar-emir/|title=Qatar's Emir: We don't fund terrorists|date=25 September 2014|publisher=CNN}}</ref>

Prior to the abdication of Emir Sheikh Hamad, Qatar's mediation was fronted by the Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmad Abdullah Al Mahmud. On 4 May 2009, the Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmad Abdullah Al Mahmud announced that Chad and Sudan had agreed to end hostilities against each other and to normalize relations during Qatari-mediated talks in Doha; however the agreement quickly broke down.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/05/200954124019927666.html|title = Chad and Sudan agree to end feud|work = Al Jazeera|date = 4 May 2009|access-date = 19 September 2011}}</ref> Qatar also brokered an agreement between the Sudanese government and the strongest Darfur rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, in Doha in February 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/02/200922293248253584.html|title = Meetings follow Doha deal on Darfur|work = Al Jazeera|date = 22 February 2009|access-date = 19 September 2011}}</ref> The agreement fell apart in May 2010 and the conflict is ongoing.

[[File:Donald Trump meets with the Emir of Qatar (Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani), May 2017.jpg|thumb|U.S. President [[Donald Trump]] with the Emir of Qatar [[Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani]], May 2017]]
Qatar hosted a donors conference to help rebuild war-ravaged Darfur in April 2013.<ref>[http://www.aljazeera.com/video/africa/2013/04/20134732514850321.html Qatar pledges $500m for Darfur reconstruction] ''Al Jazeera''. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.</ref>

In June 2010, Qatari peacekeeping forces deployed in the disputed Ras Doumeira area on the border between Djibouti and Eritrea after the latter withdrew from the area. The intention was to help start bilateral negotiations and solve the [[Djiboutian–Eritrean border conflict|territorial dispute]] which had turned violent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/03/what-is-an-expensive-idyllic-resort-doing-in-eritrea/274424/|title=What Is an Expensive, Idyllic Resort Doing in Eritrea?|first=Armin|last=Rosen|website=[[The Atlantic]]|date=28 March 2013|access-date=5 June 2017|archive-date=19 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219235425/http://m.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/03/what-is-an-expensive-idyllic-resort-doing-in-eritrea/274424/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Qatar withdrew its 450 troops from the Djibouti-Eritrea border in June 2017 after the two countries [[2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis|severed ties with Qatar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/6/14/qatar-withdraws-troops-from-east-africa-peacekeeping-mission|title=Qatar withdraws troops from peacekeeping mission on Djibouti-Eritrea border|work=alaraby |publisher=Al Araby Al Jadeed|date=14 June 2017|access-date=3 September 2017}}</ref>

On February 1, 2023, in an interview, Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, stated that his country is actively utilizing its established communication channels with both Washington and Tehran in order to foster a greater alignment of their respective perspectives.

In September 2023, it was reported that Iran expressed its readiness to execute a Qatar-mediated agreement with the United States. The Iranian foreign minister made this announcement on September 14, 2023. According to the terms of the agreement, both [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and Tehran would release five prisoners, while $6 billion worth of Iranian assets held in South Korea would be released.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar hopes recent prisoner swap deal between with US will pave way for revival of nuclear deal |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/qatar-hopes-recent-prisoner-swap-deal-between-with-us-will-pave-way-for-revival-of-nuclear-deal/2966193 |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=www.aa.com.tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Inc |first=Reuters |title=Iran ready to implement Qatar-mediated prisoner swap deal with U.S. - official {{!}} SaltWire |url=https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/iran-ready-to-implement-qatar-mediated-prisoner-swap-deal-with-us-official-100892100/ |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=www.saltwire.com |language=en |archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009115850/https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/iran-ready-to-implement-qatar-mediated-prisoner-swap-deal-with-us-official-100892100/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The broad outlines of the U.S.-Iran deal, which pertain to the potential release of U.S. citizens detained by Iran, were publicly disclosed on August 10. As part of this agreement, it has been proposed that the funds be transferred to banks in Qatar while simultaneously releasing five Iranians who are currently held in the United States.

In June, it was reported that secret talks took place between [[Venezuela]] and the United States, with Qatar serving as the host for these discussions. Qatar has been known for its significant involvement in supporting the United States during delicate negotiations, which notably encompassed a recent prisoner exchange with Iran and facilitated backchannel communications between the [[United States|U.S]]. and the Taliban.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/2023/09/mediating-multipolarity-qatars-role-in-us-venezuela-negotiations?lang=en | title=Mediating Multipolarity: Qatar's Role in U.S.-Venezuela Negotiations }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Quesada |first=Juan Diego |date=2023-06-30 |title=United States and Venezuela hold secret meeting in Qatar |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-06-30/united-states-and-venezuela-hold-secret-meeting-in-qatar.html |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}}</ref>

On October 7, 2023, Israel and Palestine started an extensive armed conflict. Due to its escalation, On October 9, 2023, Qatari mediators made urgent talks to attempt to arrange the release of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons in exchange for the release of Israeli women and children held by the militant group that were being detained in Gaza. Positive progress is being made in the ongoing negotiations, which Qatar has been undertaking in collaboration with the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mills |first1=Andrew |last2=Al-Mughrabi |first2=Nidal |last3=Al-Mughrabi |first3=Nidal |date=2023-10-09 |title=Qatar in talks with Hamas, Israel to swap hostages for prisoners |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatar-leads-talks-swap-hamas-held-hostages-palestinians-israeli-jails-2023-10-09/ |access-date=2023-10-30}}</ref> Qatar has played a crucial role in facilitating the release of American and Australian hostages who were stranded in Israel and Palestine.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gutteridge |first=Nick |date=2023-10-20 |title=Rishi Sunak thanks Qatar for efforts to free UK hostages taken by Hamas |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/10/20/rishi-sunak-qatar-uk-hostages-hamas/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Graham-Harrison |first=Emma |date=2023-10-20 |title=US mother and daughter released from Hamas captivity after Qatar brokers deal |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/20/hamas-us-hostages-released-mother-daughter |access-date=2023-10-30 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In October 2023, Qatar's mediation efforts led to the reunion of four Ukrainian children with their families. By December 2023, an additional six Ukrainian children were scheduled to be repatriated from Russia to Ukraine under a Qatar-brokered agreement. In February 2024, a third group of 11 children was successfully returned to their Ukrainian families with the assistance of Qatar's mediation. On March 21, 2024, a new batch of children exchange between Moscow and Kyiv took place at Qatar's Embassy in Moscow, facilitated by Qatar and attended by Ambassador ''Sheikh Ahmed bin Nasser bin Jassim Al Thani'', as confirmed by Russian Children's Ombudswoman ''Maria Lvova-Belova''. Furthermore, the ambassador ''Sheikh Ahmed'' expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for their support throughout this process.