Archives Qatar - New Eastern Outlook

In the short term, relations will probably develop slowly, but strategic relations can only be reached after the full success of the development of necessary mechanisms, procedures and negotiations at the committees’ level.

Iran is attempting to create a gas alliance involving Qatar. While Turkey is attempting to rescue the grain deal, Iran is actively promoting the concept of establishing a gas hub of its own. The gas swap between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan via Iran served as a test phase. Later in November 2022, Russia and Iran started researching the idea of swapping gas supplies, which initially would be around 10 billion cubic meters per year. Iran formally proposed to Russia and Turkmenistan a large-scale gas swap in February 2023, in which Russia would get gas in the north and Turkmenistan would supply it in exchange in either direction in the south. They specifically discussed deliveries of gas to Pakistan, near whose border Iran is building a gas pipeline with a capacity of 100 million m3/day of gas (about 36.5 billion m3/year), opening up the prospect of supplying India in the future.

With global attention focused on the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, there are the usual bleatings about politics being entangled with sport. Qatar being a country with no previous football tradition, these are being magnified beyond the usual levels. Selling out to big business! Ignoring Qatar’s human rights record! Preventing fans drinking! LBGT and migrant worker abuse...