Other areas of cooperation discussed included one between the Doha Forum and the Paris Peace Forum.
France awarded Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Lolwah Al Khater with the Legion of Honor with the rank of “Knight”, the highest French order of merit, on Sunday.
The award follows a series of “fruitful” meetings in France with officials, parliamentarians and academics between Thursday and Friday, the Gulf state’s foreign ministry said.
Some of the officials included the French President’s Adviser for North Africa and the Middle East, the Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs among several others.
“The meetings reviewed cooperation relations between the two countries, developing partnerships in energy, sports, investment, development and international development, in addition to exchanging experiences in managing crises and providing humanitarian assistance,” the statement added.
Other areas of cooperation discussed included one between the Doha Forum and the Paris Peace Forum.
Meetings also dealt with the Palestinian cause, support for the people of Lebanon, ongoing unrest in Sudan, the Syrian crisis, and developments in Afghanistan.
Both countries signed a letter of intent on cooperation and partnership in international development, under which Doha and France will further coordinate in humanitarian assistance.
The meetings come ahead of the second round of the Qatar and France strategic dialogue, scheduled to take place in Paris, though the Qatari foreign ministry did not reveal the date of the event.
The first round took place in March last year, during which Qatar and France celebrated 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties.
It also came a year after Qatar and France carried out a joint humanitarian operation that included dispatching 40 tonnes of medical and food supplies to Afghanistan in light of the Taliban takeover.
At the time, Qatar carried out history’s largest airlift of people, in which it evacuated more than 80,000 Afghans and foreigners.
The Gulf state also helped evacuate at least 110 French nationals and their dependents between September and December of 2021.
Separately, France helped with security measures during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first to ever take place in an Arab and a Muslim country.
France’s armed forces had agreed to send security personnel and material to the Gulf state. This includes the deployment of a BASSALT anti-drone system, which helped detect and identify incoming drones.
