In April, Qatar allocated $5 million in aid to Ukrainian refugees through the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).
Qatar’s Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah Al Khater and NATO officials discussed the Gulf state’s support to war-torn Ukraine during a meeting in Brussels on Saturday.
According to Qatar’s foreign ministry (MOFA), the discussions took place during a roundtable chaired by Germany’s Permanent Representative to NATO Rudiger Konig.
MOFA said officials, including members of the alliance, tapped into food and energy security in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, highlighting Qatar’s role in providing Ukrainians with much-needed aid.
In a separate meeting, Al Khater discussed the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine with NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Javier Colomina.
“Great to meet today with Qatar Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lolwah Al Khater. We discussed the excellent level of NATO cooperation, the situation in Afghanistan and the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine, including with regard to food and energy security,” tweeted Colomina.
In April, Qatar allocated $5 million in aid to Ukrainian refugees through the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD). The donation was announced by Al Khater during a virtual Donors’ Conference for Ukraine.
During the conference, Al Khater also shed light on other global issues of concern, including the ongoing war in Syria and illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
The Gulf state repeatedly called for a peaceful resolution in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion of the country on 24 February.
It also renewed its support for UN Charters, stressing the importance of respecting each country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
Last week, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani renewed the Gulf state’s readiness to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
In March, Sheikh Mohammed met with Lavrov in Russia, where the two discussed the the latest developments. In a joint press conference, the Qatari FM condemned “everything to the contrary” of the UN Charter.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has also echoed similar sentiments on Doha’s willingness to find peace.
“We are in touch with all parties concerned in the Ukrainian crisis, and I am ready to contribute to every international and regional effort to find an immediate, peaceful solution to the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine,” Sheikh Tamim told the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos last month.
The Qatari leader expressed his solidarity with the refugees forced to flee their country during the ongoing war.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the conflict internally displaced more than eight million people in Ukraine and turned more than six million into refugees.
Meanwhile, the UN reported that the total civilian casualties reached 9,197 on 2 June. A total of 4,183 people, including 67 children, have been killed in Ukraine, between the start of the invasion and the reported period.
However, the actual figure is feared to be higher as the war in Ukraine continues to claim the lives of more innocent civilians.
