Liquefied natural gas and more: Details on Baerbock's Qatar trip

There is a lot to do for Annalena Baerbock during her trip to Qatar. The tasks force the Foreign Minister to perform a balancing act.

Doha - Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will conclude her three-day trip to the Gulf region this Wednesday with high-level political talks in the desert emirate of Qatar. In the morning, the Green politician met the head of state, Sheikh Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in the capital Doha on the Arabian Gulf. After that, a meeting with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was scheduled.

As in Saudi Arabia, Baerbock has to dare the balancing act: The difficult human rights situation in Qatar contrasts with an important role for the country in connection with Iran, Afghanistan as well as energy and climate issues. On the subject of Iran, the focus is likely to be on the nuclear agreement, which has been on hold for years, the protests in the country and cooperation with Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Baerbock trip: Qatar and liquefied natural gas

Qatar's prosperity is mainly due to natural gas reserves - they are the third largest in the world after Russia and Iran. Qatar is considered the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. From 2026 onwards, Qatar wants to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Germany according to an agreement signed at the end of November. The planned volume could cover about three percent of Germany's annual demand. Germany wants to use LNG from all over the world to replace the lack of natural gas from Russia.

In Iran, according to activists, many people recently took to the streets in protest against the threat of execution of several men. Human rights activists warn of the execution of several controversial death sentences against three protesters accused by the judiciary of killing security forces during the nationwide protests in November.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) on her arrival in Doha. © Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

Iran: Protests, executions and nuclear

According to UN estimates, more than 2023 people have already been executed in Iran in 200. According to the US administration, Russia and Iran are expanding their military cooperation. Since August, Iran has provided more than 400 drones for Russia.

Qatar has traditionally had the comparatively best relations with Iran among the Gulf states. The two countries share the world's largest offshore gas field. In the past, Doha has often sought to play a mediating role with Tehran and provided Iran with a stage for dialogue.

Talks on nuclear deal with Iran

At the beginning of May, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began rebuilding its surveillance cameras in Iran. In the wake of the conflict over Iran's nuclear program, Tehran had ordered the dismantling of parts of the equipment used to control nuclear facilities in mid-2022. The U.S. withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran in 2018, which provided for severe restrictions on the nuclear program. Following the move by then-US President Donald Trump, Iran has gradually broken its obligations. Negotiations on a resumption of the pact are on hold.

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At the beginning of May, representatives of the United Nations (UN) and international diplomats met in Doha to find a unified approach for the international community to the Taliban government. The main reason for the meeting was the situation of women and girls, who are systematically oppressed and marginalized in many areas by the ruling Islamist Taliban. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the time that the UN wanted to continue its humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.

Qatar and Afghanistan repeatedly cause criticism

The Taliban's ban on working for Afghan women had caused sharp criticism. The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan poses a dilemma for aid organizations: According to Guterres, Afghanistan is experiencing the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. 28 million people depend on humanitarian aid for their survival. An estimated 37 million people live in the country.

As in Saudi Arabia, the Arab League's dealings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are likely to play a role in Qatar. Ahead of the Arab League summit planned for this Friday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Baerbock warned on Monday against an "unconditional normalization" in dealing with al-Assad. The Arab countries had recently agreed on the readmission of Syria to the organization, which has about 20 members. (mse/dpa)