Profile Qatar’s FM: a failed reconciliation engineer

CAIRO – 21 July 2017: “As for financing terrorism and what has been mentioned in the list of accusations — this issue exists in all countries in the region,” speaking at a press conference in Rome on July 1, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said.

Qatar’s foreign minister has admitted to Doha being on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism in the region, as he did not deny the charge made against Qatar.

The video of the minister saying the aforementioned went viral on social media platforms, in which was seen as a confession for Qatar support for terrorism.

He said that funding and sponsoring terror is a common issue in other countries in the Middle East and did not only apply to Qatar. “Qatar, on the contrary, is at the bottom of the list of countries involved in such crime.”

The 36-year-old FM was appointed in 2014 as an assistant of the International Cooperation in the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs, before being promoted to be Qatar’s Foreign Minister in January 2016.

Abdulrahman obtained a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from Qatar University in 2003. The same year he began to serve at the Supreme Council for Family Affairs as an economic researcher.

From 2005 to 2009 he was the director of economic affair. He was named manager for the project on supporting and developing small and medium scale state enterprises at the ministry of business and trade in March 2009.

He was named secretary of the personal representative of the Emir of Qatar for follow-up affairs at the Emiri Diwan in June 2010.

Following 30 June Revolution in Egypt and ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi, Doha embraced senior leaders of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Qatar’s FM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman led reconciliation and mediation attempts between the oil-rich state and Egypt.

When Abdulrahman was Qatar’s FM assistant, he headed to Saudi Arabia in response to initiative led by late King Abdullah to ease tensions between Egypt and Qatar. Later on, Doha deported 17 Brotherhood leaders and closed Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr channel.

These diplomatic attempts run by Abdulrahman were good signs in the past, before involving deeply in Qatar’s diplomacy which defies the Arab’s efforts to counter terrorism.

Despite Abdulrahman’s efforts to bridge the rift between Egypt and Qatar in 2013, he could not succeed to deter Qatar’s administration from opposing and breaking the Arabs’ bond in 2017.