Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg travelled to Qatar in his first foreign visit of the year and met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al Thani.
The Foreign Affairs Minister announced, after the meeting, that Qatar Airways will operate four direct flights per week from Malta to Qatar, easing travel for Maltese-Australians visiting Malta. Beyond this announcement, however, the meeting appears to have been uneventful. Minister Borg commended Qatar’s mediation efforts about the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Syria was also discussed but no details were provided about the discussion.
The Gulf Times which announced the visit in advance said that Qatar is currently lobbying Western states to lift sanctions on Syria. Germany and France do not want to lift sanctions on Syria before they see confirmation of further political developments. The United States has lifted sanctions on Syria regarding emergency relief and essential products and utilities such as energy and food. Qatar is also involved in negotiations to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.
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