Qatar’s premier will give an interview on April 13 at 21:00 Doha Time (18:00 GMT) on Qatar Television.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani will be giving a rare live interview on April 13 on Qatar Television.
Scheduled to air on the local broadcaster at 21:00 Doha time (18:00 GMT), the interview is Sheikh Mohammed’s first since he assumed his position as Qatar’s premier.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani appointed Sheikh Mohammed as the head of government following the resignation of Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani.
The appointment on March 7 was welcomed internationally and locally, with analysts describing him as “a seasoned diplomat” who gained the trust of politicians.
Sheikh Mohammed has been serving as Qatar’s top diplomat since January 2016. Soon after his appointment, Qatar was at the centre of the Gulf region’s worst diplomatic rift.
From 2017 until 2021, Qatar was subjected to an illegal air, land and sea blockade by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt.
During the crisis, Sheikh Mohammed was praised for his steadfast efforts in rising from the crisis, even gaining the nickname “Knight of the Blockade” among the local community.
As Qatar faced a wave of criticism in the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sheikh Mohammed repeatedly dodged all critics, displaying the country’s welcoming and hospitable culture before the event.
Sheikh Mohammed also led numerous mediation efforts between conflicting parties.
Most notably, the Gulf state managed to bring the former Afghan government and the Taliban to the table of negotiations in 2020 in an effort to reach a peaceful settlement.
During the same year, Qatar brought the United States and the Taliban together following more than a decade of war, resulting in the Doha Agreement.
Qatar continued to hold mediation talks until the last stretch, just days before the Taliban captured Kabul in 2021.
To date, Sheikh Mohammed continues to advocate for Afghans’ rights, especially women and girls following the Taliban’s ban on work and education.
Beyond Afghanistan, Qatar succeeded in holding talks between more than 50 parties in Chad last year in an effort to end a long period of violence. After months of mediation, different sides signed the Chad Peace Agreement.
Qatar has also been a key communicator between the US and Iran in an effort to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
In the Middle East, Sheikh Mohammed continuously made headlines for his powerful statements on Palestine in the face of the ongoing Israeli occupation and violence, displaying to the world Qatar’s unwavering stance towards the Palestinian cause.
