Qatar–Russia relations (russian: Российско-катарские отношения) are the

bilateral Bilateral may refer to any concept including two sides, in particular: *Bilateria, bilateral animals *Bilateralism, the political and cultural relations between two states *Bilateral, occurring on both sides of an organism ( Anatomical terms of l ...

foreign relations A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through m ...

between the two countries,

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Background

Soviet-era relations

Following

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

's lead, Qatar refused for many years to have

diplomatic relations Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

with the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. 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 A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...

on 12 November 1989, and Qatar opened its embassy in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

on 14 November 1989.

Russian Federation relations

Diplomatic ties

On 26 December 1991, Qatar recognised the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

as the

successor state Succession of states is a concept in international relations regarding a successor state that has become a sovereign state over a territory (and populace) that was previously under the sovereignty of another state. The theory has its roots in 19th- ...

to the Soviet Union, after the latter's dissolution. Russia has an embassy in Doha, and Qatar has an embassy in Moscow. The current ambassador of Russia to Qatar is . The current ambassador of Qatar to Russia is Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, who appointed his

Letters of Credence A letter of credence (french: Lettre de créance) is a formal diplomatic letter that designates a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state. Commonly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to anot ...

Russian President The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

on 16 March 2007.

Political ties

Vladimir Putin in Qatar 12 February 2007-1

Relations became strained after

Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev Zelimkhan Abdulmuslimovich Yandarbiyev ( ce, Яндарбин Абдулмуслиман-кIант Зелимхан, romanized: ''Yandarbin Abdulmusliman-khant Zelimxan''; russian: link=no, Зелимхан Абдулмуслимович Я� ...

was assassinated in Qatar on 13 February 2004. On the third anniversary of Yandarbiyev's death,

traveled to Qatar on a state visit, where he was received by Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. On November 29, 2011, Russian Ambassador to Qatar, Vladimir Titorenko, was allegedly assaulted by Qatar airport security and customs officers when he refused to have his suitcase scanned at the airport. Relations again became strained on February 7, 2012, when reportedly, after a diplomat from Qatar warned Russia of losing the support of Arab League about upcoming resolution on the Syrian uprising, which Russia and China later vetoed, the answer came harsh from Russian UN ambassador

Vitaly Churkin Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin ( rus, Вита́лий Ива́нович Чу́ркин, p=vʲɪˈtalʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ˈtɕurkʲɪn; 21 February 1952 – 20 February 2017) was a Russian diplomat and former child actor. Churkin served as Russia ...

who replied that ''If you talk to me like that, there will be no Qatar today'' and boasted about Russian military superiority over Qatar. Later, Russia denied all these accusations.

Economic ties

In 2010, the Russian state-owned Yamal Reindeer Company began producing canned, halal reindeer meat for export to Qatar. Production commenced at the direction of the governor of the energy-rich Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, who proposed it during a meeting with Qatari officials. During a visit to Doha on 12 February 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement to establish the Russian-Qatari Business Council. As of 4 December 2018, the Chairman of the council is Ahmet Palankoev, a Russian businessman.

References

External links

*
Documents on the Qatar–Russia relationship at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Diplomatic missions

*
Embassy of Russia in Doha
Bilateral relations of Russia

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