Energy security has been a key focus throughout the amir’s tour in Europe, with several countries in the region seeking to replace Russian gas.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in the UK on Monday night as part of his European tour, with the 2015 nuclear accord and energy security high on the agenda.
The amir was in Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF) after visiting Germany, Spain and Slovenia previously. The Qatari leader’s next stop in the region is the French capital, Paris.
The tour also comes following a visit to Turkey and Iran, where he met with the leaders of the two countries and discussed bilateral ties.
While no further details have been disclosed regarding the amir’s visit to London, high-profile meetings are expected to take place in an effort to expand ties.
The Gulf state’s foreign ministry (MOFA) had previously announced that the first Qatar-UK strategic dialogue was scheduled to take place in March, but there have been no updates on the matter.
It also remains unclear whether the strategic dialogue is going to kick off during the amir’s visit.
Qatar and the UK had agreed to commence an annual strategic dialogue in October last year, following a meeting between the Gulf state’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and his British counterpart Liz Truss.
“The Strategic Dialogue highlights the strength of their bilateral relationship and the mutually beneficial opportunities for the peoples of both countries to deepen cooperation,” read a statement by MOFA at the time.
Issues of common concern
Energy security has been a key focus throughout the amir’s tour in Europe, with several countries in the region seeking to replace Russian gas.
The UK was among the countries that turned to the Gulf state since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Other European states included Italy, Germany, and France.
On 8 March, the UK announced that it will be “phasing out imports of Russian oil in response to Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine” by the end of 2022.
Britain’s imports from Russian oil accounts for 8% of its demand and it also relies on domestic production of oil and gas. The UK had also been grappling with an energy crisis before the invasion.
Besides the energy crisis, the 2015 nuclear accord, technically known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is another issue of common concern.
The UK is part of the p4+1, which has been engaging in indirect negotiations between the US and Iran since April last year in Vienna. The talks aimed at reviving the nuclear accord.
In an effort to salvage the JCPOA, Qatar has been in talks between US and Iranian officials over the past months. Commenting on the Gulf state’s role, Sheikh Tamim told the WEF that the country is not an official mediator.
“Iran is our next-door neighbour. We have a good understanding and good relationship with Iran, and our role is trying to help and to encourage all parties to come back to this agreement,” he said.
Qatar-UK ties
Qatar and the UK have long maintained strong diplomatic, defence and economic ties.
The Gulf state carried out the largest airlift of people in history last year, when the Taliban captured the Afghan capital, Kabul, on 15 August. Qatar has since evacuated at least 70,000 Afghans and foreigners, including British citizens.
Days prior the deadline for the foreign troop withdrawal from the country at the end of August, the UK joined other countries in relocating its Afghanistan embassy from Kabul to Doha.
Other countries included the US, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Qatar is one of the UK’s biggest customers when it comes to defence spending as the two countries cooperated in military-related matters.
In November last year, the UK and Qatar announced the launch of a new Joint Hawk Training Squadron to provide advanced and high-speed jet training to pilots.
Then in December, Qatar and UK defence officials discussed joint security at the FIFA World Cup 2022.
As the UK grapples with an energy crisis, reports from last year claimed that London sought Doha’s help to provide more liquified energy gas (LNG) supplies. However, a UK government spokesperson denied those claims.
According to the British Department for International Trade, the total Qatar-UK trade stood at £4.3 billion (over $5 billion) between July, 2020, and June, 2021, a 35.5% decrease from July 2019 until June 2020.
Total UK exports to Qatar also amounted to £2.8 billion (over $3 billion) in the four quarters to the end of the second quarter (Q2) of 2021. This was also a decrease of 32.7% in comparison to the four quarters to the end of Q2 of 2020.
Furthermore, the total of UK imports from Qatar also amounted to £1.4 billion (around $2 billion) in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2021, which is also a decrease of 40.5% in comparison with the four quarters to the end of Q2 2020.
