Putin held talks with the Prime Minister of Qatar
On June 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Qatar's Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdel Rahman Al Thani in Moscow.
During the conversation, the Russian leader said that the "full potential of cooperation" between the two countries "has not been disclosed" and expressed interest in expanding cooperation.
For his part, the Qatari official welcomed the growing ties of the Persian Gulf Kingdom with Russia and conveyed the message of the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. "We are talking about further steps to expand bilateral cooperation and coordination," he said.
Abdul Rahman began his visit to Russia on Wednesday. In Moscow, he met with his colleagues Sergey Lavrov and Mikhail Mishustin.
In a comment to Sputnik, Mishustin said that Moscow views Qatar as a "key partner" in Western Asia and that his country hopes to expand cooperation.
"Qatar and Russia have established a long-term strategic partnership in the energy sector, with the Qatar Investment Promotion Agency being the largest shareholder of the [Russian oil company] "Rosneft," he said.
In recent months, Qatar has been signing major energy deals, primarily with China. Qatar recently signed a 27-year gas supply agreement with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), and this is the second major agreement of the Persian Gulf country on gas supplies with a Chinese state-owned company in less than a year.
The Kingdom is also restoring ties with Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian paid a visit to Doha this week aimed at "further development of relations" between the two countries and met with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Earlier this month, Iran announced plans to turn the Gulf Coast industrial zone into a major regional gas hub in coordination with Russia, Qatar and Turkmenistan.
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