Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Minister of State of the State of Qatar: MEDIATION IN TIMES OF WAR AND CONFLICT – PERSPECTIVES FOR PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

On the invitation of the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue, H.E. DR. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Minister of State of the State of Qatar, participated in a panel on  together with Austrian Ambassador DR. Wolfgang Petritsch, moderated by Dr. Gudrun Harrer, journalist, DER STANDARD.

The Minister of State’s mandate includes mediation and conflict resolution and in his presentation on “Qatar’s Subtle Strength: How a Small State Became a Global Mediation Leader”, Minister Al-Khuleifi underlined that mediation, dialogue and dispute resolution lie at the heart of Qatari foreign policy making. While referring to essential principles of mediation from trust to diligence, sustainability and neutrality as a mediator, H.E. Al Khulaifi, who has been crucial in the release of Israeli citizens taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023,  gave insight into the mediation efforts of the State of Qatar from Russia/ Ukraine to Syria, from Palestine to Afghanistan, Libya and DRC/ Rwanda, to name but a few cases.

Amb. Petritsch elaborated on the mediation challenges in the process of the dissolution of former Yugoslavia when he had served as EU Special Envoy  and Chief Negotiator at the Kosovo peace talks and as the International Community's High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the late 1990s. The trust among the Great Powers at that time was essential for mediation, a prerequisite non-existent any more. Next to Afghanistan, the question of Israel/ Palestine prevailed in the debate and in the questions of the audience: if the two-state-solution was to be implemented, the recognition of a Palestinian state was a necessity sooner or later and the engagement of the European Union in this respect was much needed.

The event took place on September 3, 2025, in cooperation with the Diplomatic Academy at the MuseumsQuartier.