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Foreign relations of Qatar is conducted through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Arab states were among the first to recognize Qatar, and the country gained admittance to the United Nations and the Arab League after achieving independence in 1971. The country was an early member of OPEC and a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Diplomatic missions to Qatar are based in its capital, Doha.
Qatar's regional relations and foreign policies are characterized by strategy of balancing and alliance building among regional and great powers. It maintains independent foreign policy and engages in regional balancing to secure its strategic priorities and to have recognition on the regional and international level.[1][2] As a small state in the gulf, Qatar has an "open-door" foreign policy where Qatar maintain ties to all parties and regional players in the region, including with organizations such as Taliban and Hamas.[3] However, Washington Institute published a report in August 2021 stating Qatar's connections with the Taliban have made the country a potential contact for regions seeking negotiations with Afghanistan.[4] Qatar has also been key to negotiating cease-fires between Israel and Hamas that have restored calm after four wars, last seen in 2021.[5]
- ^ "Qatar's Regional Relations and Foreign Policy After Al Ula". The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. 14 April 2021.
- ^ Kirkpatrick, David D.; Barnard, Anne (7 June 2017). "Terrorist Attacks Pour Gas on Saudi- Iranian Rivalry and Gulf Tensions". Eurasia Diary. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
- ^ "Qatar Opens Its Doors to All, to the Dismay of Some". The New York Times. 16 July 2017.
- ^ "Taliban takeover propels tiny Qatar into outsize role in Afghanistan". Washington post. 31 August 2021.
- ^ AP and ToI Staff. "Hosting Hamas and Taliban, negotiating ceasefires: Qatar's outsized, contrarian role". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.