Biden Hosts Qatari Leader to Talk Gas Supplies, Afghanistan

today’s Foreign Policy brief: QueueThe leader of the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visits the White House, the socialists win Portugalchoice of, and world this week.

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Emir of Qatar visits Washington

today’s Foreign Policy brief: QueueThe leader of the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visits the White House, the socialists win Portugalchoice of, and world this week.

If you would like to receive Morning Briefs delivered to your inbox every weekday, please sign up Here,

US President Joe Biden hosted Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the White House today, with his full agenda.

Biden is expected help The Qatari leader lent support in countering the power of Russian gas exports to Europe by sending some of his stock to the continent. It is not clear what capacity Qatar has to divert the gas to Europe; It already eats roughly 5 percent of Europe’s gas, but majority Its export goes to Asia.

On a call with reporters Sunday afternoon, a senior Biden administration official declined to address the issue, saying only that the White House was “consulting with all the major gas suppliers around the world.”

This isn’t the first time the United States has turned to its Gulf partner to help weather a geopolitical crisis. When the Biden administration refused to recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan, Qatar was now the official U.S. government. boatman On the ground, stepping where the US embassy no longer operates.

Qatar also played a leading role in evacuation flights during the US withdrawal in August 2021. Those flights, chartered by the US government and operated by Qatar Airways, started again Last Thursday after a gap of one week.

The two men are also likely to raise the issue of Iran, at a time when talks aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear deal in Vienna have shown signs of a steady pace. Unlike its Gulf competitors, who are now only taking steps to improve their ties with Tehran, Qatar’s ties are further deepened, with the two countries sharing in the North Dome/South Parc oil field, which is part of Qatar’s wealth. source.

While Biden has kept some Gulf leaders, notably Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the same cannot be said for Sheikh Tamim. “Qatar’s regional policies and the Biden administration are aligned in the sense that Biden has put diplomacy first,” said Christian Coates Ulrichson, a Gulf expert at Rice University and author of Qatar and the Gulf Crisissaid Foreign Policy, “Qatar has tried to de-escalate tensions since 2017, this is not the same as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which were heavily involved in provoking regional conflicts.”

It is likely that even after the chaotic exit from Afghanistan, the US government will still be looking to Doha to address its more difficult problems, Kotes Ulrichsen said: “The fact that the Qataris have ties and those can bring together those who can’t speak directly. An American approach, which could produce results even with Iran.”

And what would Qatar want from the meeting? Sheikh Tamim has already won in the Gulf prestige stakes, by being the first Gulf Cooperation Council leader to visit the White House under Biden, but the emir is expected to push for even more concrete results. Whereas future designation as a major non-NATO ally-swim in 2020 But it was not followed – could be too much, withdrawal $500 million is likely to be a priority on US arms sales.

Tuesday, February 1: Russia assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of February.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is on a visit to Russia, where he is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Wednesday, February 2: The International Energy Agency held a ministerial meeting chaired by US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

OPEC+ held a ministerial meeting.

Thursday, February 3: The European Central Bank decides its interest rate.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is on a three-day visit to China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Beijing.

The term of Italian President Sergio Mattarella is coming to an end.

Friday, February 4: The 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony will take place in Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing.

Saturday, February 5: African heads of state and government were convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the African Union Leaders’ Summit.

Sunday, February 6: Queen Elizabeth II completes 70 years as British monarch. Official ceremonies take place in June.

There are presidential and legislative elections in Costa Rica.

South Korea’s Presidential Competition, South Korea’s two main contenders for the presidency, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party and Eun Suk-yol of the Conservative People’s Power Party, are facing each other. first debate campaign season. The most recent survey has six point Lead on Lee. The two men are then expected to discuss North Korea’s latest missile activity. tested Nuclear capable medium-range ballistic missile on Sunday.

Portugal’s election Portugal’s ruling Socialist Party came out on top in Sunday’s legislative elections, securing nearly 42 percent of the vote—enough to give it an absolute majority of 117 seats in the country’s 230-seat legislature under Portugal’s proportional representation system. The rival Social Democrats won 29 percent of the vote, while the right-wing Chega Party won 7 percent, giving it 12 seats.

Gardener’s deadline. Today marks the self-imposed deadline for submission to Mali’s military leadership election timetable To the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after repeated delays. ECOWAS has already approved the officials involved in the May 2021 coup, and the European authorities expressed disappointment With the country’s leadership after disrupting international efforts to counter Islamic State in the Sahel region.

The President of Israel in the UAE. Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates ended today, marking the end of a historic first visit by an Israeli president to the country. Herzog’s trip went smoothly, although UAE officials on Monday Reported Intercepting a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi terrorists.

The Irish fishing community won a victory over the Russian Navy after their demands to move naval exercises out of the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone were met. If the exercise went ahead as planned, the fishermen planned to hold peaceful protests at sea, leading to a showdown between Dublin and Moscow.

On Saturday, Russia’s ambassador to Ireland said the exercise would be moved from Ireland’s EEZ “as a gesture of goodwill” and was aimed “not to hinder fishing activities by Irish ships in traditional fishing areas”. .

Brendan Byrne of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association welcomed news and said that Russia “may make the wrong calculations.” Bayern’s organization is now calling for a 10-year moratorium on any country’s naval exercises within the Irish EEZ.