Russia's invasion of Ukraine has opened up diplomatic and commercial opportunities for gas exporter Qatar to expand energy sales to the West and bolster its alliance with Washington amid U.S. tensions with other Gulf Arab states.
Qatar has sought a largely neutral stance on the conflict, but while trying to avoid choosing sides, it has signalled through its response that it can offer significant political and economic assistance to Western partners.
Meanwhile Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East, was designated a major non-NATO ally of the United States last month - a status neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia have been awarded. "There was coordination with Washington prior to the Qatari foreign minister's visit to Moscow, especially with regards to the JCPOA discussion," the source said, using the acronym for the formal name of the nuclear accord.
"It does appear that Qatar has played a role in discussions on the edges of the Iran talks. How direct and how consequential that role is open to question," said Mehran Kamrava, a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar.Although Doha has in recent years, like Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, strengthened its diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow, it has maintained a strong partnership with Washington.
Among the world's largest producers of liquified natural gas , Qatar is one of the wealthiest nations per capita and is home to barely three million people, 85% of them foreign workers. "Now, whenever there is an opportunity, just goes for it. They're marketing themselves as an extension of U.S. foreign and security policy in a way that no other Gulf country is doing," said Andreas Krieg a professor at King's College in London.When Qatar decided to hike LNG production by 2027, some questioned how Qatar would find customers.
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