The war in Ukraine serves as a spur to seek a solution to other conflicts

Multilateralism at the Doha Forum

photo_camera Fórum Doha

"When I got on the plane in Poland on my way to Doha, they served me lunch and at that moment I allowed myself to cry for the first time since the war began". The confession of the Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova was contagious with grief and solidarity among the participants in the Doha Forum, which in its 20th edition opened precisely after the Emir's words with a director's connection with President Zelenski. Another opportunity, in an outstanding forum, to seek allies in the world. The multilateralism fostered at this meeting, which brought together two hundred world leaders - from the president of the UN General Assembly to Bill Gates - is the recipe for seeking a peaceful solution not only to Ukraine but also to other conflicts. Alongside Borrell, the most prominent Spanish participant was Miguel Ángel Moratinos, who from his position at the United Nations advocated that conflicts should not overshadow the global agenda on solutions to climate change, migration, pandemics, etc., which are not achievable in a world without peace.

The fear of the Russian-Ukrainian war and its far-reaching repercussions has become a catalyst for seeking solutions to other long-simmering conflicts. Undoubtedly, the tragedy that Europe is experiencing is being a spur to seek ways out of other entrenched problems. If in the last forum before the pandemic the news was about the Saudis and other emirates cornering Qatar, in this edition we saw the Saudi and Qatari Foreign Ministers sitting side by side on the panel of the opening session. Also making news were Iranians and Americans, once irreducible enemies, now participating at the same dialogue table. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Hassan Sheikholeslami and California Congresswoman Jane Harman offered notes of hope that the dialogue will finally come to fruition.

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Undoubtedly, Qatar, due to its energy power and its capacity for dialogue, can provide some solutions to frozen conflicts such as those in Yemen and Iran, without forgetting the Palestinians, Libya, Afghanistan and the urgent need to stop the carnage in Ukraine. In particular, Turkey, a major Qatari ally, had a very prominent presence at the forum, which has led to its calls for dialogue in the Russian-Ukrainian war. 

Qatar's emir set the tone by calling for "the responsible use of fuels", and warning that we are facing a crisis that generates "dangers of no return". Qatar suffered the threat to its territorial integrity, as a small but energetically powerful state, in the recent crisis in the region, which it has been able to overcome by acting on the basis of its security, but with temperance and using the good offices of mediation by Turkey or the United States, which have restored calm to the region. Qatar and Saudi Arabia have ceased their hostility, are visiting and talking to each other. Now the regional emphasis is on finding a way out of the blockade of Iran by trying to reach an agreement with Washington. Such a way out, on the nuclear issue and the current economic sanctions, could have a positive influence on other hotspots such as Syria.  Zelenski did not forget to say in his internet address that "Mariupol is like Syria". Total destruction of urban areas, without regard or humanitarian concessions. And he called for the war to end and "not to tarnish the upcoming celebrations of the month of Ramadan". The US representatives did not forget to praise Qatar's help in the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. This was undoubtedly a tactical release of troops and weapons at a time when the theatre of war has shifted to Europe. 

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Josep Borrell's European voice also stood out in the opening session, pointing out that we are not "facing a European or even a Western problem in the war in Ukraine, but a global issue. We need more rule of law and more balance of power. The whole world is in danger".  Putin in his macabre flight forward has brought up the nuclear weapon, but it is not the only bomb or the only fear: underneath it are the crises of food shortages, the dislocation of fleeing people, migrations from Syria Ukraine, and always in the background the energy issue.

All eyes are once again on Iran and Qatar in search of solutions to Russia's energy dependence. There is no doubt that American and European diplomacy is looking for ways out, and the previously unthinkable dialogue with Caracas or Tehran is moving in that direction, even with Algeria. Goodwill exists in the case of Qatar, although as our ambassador in Doha, Belén Alfaro, a good expert on the ground, acknowledged, most of the contracts already signed are long-term and there are hardly any reserves available to increase the flow of gas. The pandemic slowed down extractions. Now they want to accelerate on the basis of European requests. Qatari gas, which covers part of Spain's consumption, travels mainly to South Korea, China and Japan.  An increase is on the way, although it will not be as fast as they would like, as Germany has just asked Qatar to do in order to get rid of its excessive energy dependence on the Russian giant. Técnicas Reunidas, for example, is working in Qatar to accelerate new plants for the extraction and transformation of gas.

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This Doha meeting initially wanted to talk about climate change and the sustainable world we must move towards. War has swamped everything. Sometimes it even clouds the debate. With energy and plain speaking, the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations, Spain's Miguel Ángel Moratinos, acknowledged that "if there is war and destruction, the rest of the debates are clouded". One of the few participants who attended the first session of the Doha Forum 20 years ago sees how the debate has shifted from the terrorist threat after the attack on the Twin Towers in New York to the current need for dialogue on diversity, progress in the battle against climate change and multilateral diplomacy in the face of an eventual return to sphere of influence politics. " We are back to an agenda where security is paramount". Twenty years ago, under the shadow of the serious attack in New York, it was difficult to create a new international agenda on climate change, refugee aid or even, more recently, on solutions to the pandemic. But it was achieved. Now the fear is that this war, to which a diplomatic solution must be found soon, overshadows the rest of the issues - we must stick to real multilateralism as a way out of this and all other conflicts, says Moratinos.

Incidentally, our ambassador to the United Nations Agustín Santos was also in Doha to participate in another conference on counterterrorism, making it clear that there are issues that do not fade away, but that the priorities on the international chessboard fluctuate, and that a conflict in the heart of Europe (with military, geographic, energy, health, migration, etc. repercussions) is the main focus of everyone's attention.

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There is no doubt that the landscape of strategic alliances is changing. Multilateralism is gaining strength in the face of crises that hit medium and small countries hardest. The warning against policies based on spheres of influence is clear. Russia's flight forward on the post-Cold War path has surprised many, unsettled some, and is leaving a trail of dead in a particular country denied its very existence. The guarantees of security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries have once again been called into question in the face of Putin's Russia.  In Doha, some possible ways out and new alliances have already been hinted at in the face of this shift to a multipolar world, in which energy is a dominant element in maintaining peace and security or destabilising them.

In Doha, we have seen 2,300 participants, including 200 panellists, from 142 nationalities and 104 countries, in more than 50 sessions over two intense days of debates and conferences. The young Nobel laureate Malala, Bill Gates, UNICEF representatives and even FIFA's Infantino have been on the panels, in a great mix of civil society, experts and political leaders. All with a yearning for peace, which they were unable to convey live to representatives from Russia, who were conspicuous by their absence. 

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The final word came from Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani, who spoke precisely about his experience of multilateralism as a formula for resolving the Balkan conflict, noting that "with history changing and new alliances developing, ... multilateralism has never been more important than it is now".

Perhaps on her plane back to her war-torn country, the Ukrainian deputy minister noticed the Qatar Airlines screens announcing the establishment of the new Doha-Odesa air route. These planes and passengers are unlikely to reach their scheduled destination in better times. The future endeavour is that it will be maintained, and then we will know that the war will be over and that Ukraine remains a landlocked country, with freedom of movement by land, sea and air.

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