Moscow, Russia - On Sunday evening, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Moscow for a short work visit. On Monday he is to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the wars in Syria and Yemen and the situation in Palestine.

The work visit comes amid a massive evacuation of civilians and fighters from Eastern Ghouta near the Syrian capital Damascus after Russia negotiated with rebel groups to leave the area for opposition-controlled Idlib province.

According to Dmitriy Frolovsky, a Moscow-based analyst, Putin and Sheikh Tamim will discuss Russia's position on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Qatari support for the opposition, and the possible participation of Qatar in post-conflict reconstruction of Syria.

"There is going to be division of Syria and obviously the most powerful parties in Syria will be Russia and the United States. Qatar for various reasons will try to maintain stable contacts with both of the parties," Frolovsky said.

In late January, a Russian-sponsored peace conference in Sochi failed to bring together the Syrian regime and opposition for talks. Shortly after, forces loyal to Assad backed by Russian air support launched an operation against rebel-held Eastern Ghouta.

According to Frolovsky, after the regime takes full control of the Damascus suburbs another military operation against rebel-held Idlib province is likely.

Тhe Sheikh Tamim's visit was preceded by phone calls between Putin and Abu Dhabi Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in early March and Saudi King Salman in February. In October last year the Saudi king paid a three-day visit to Moscow.

"It's not only the [Gulf] crisis that boosted the relations [with Gulf countries] but also the general Russian presence in the region which has been augmenting since Putin took part in the Syrian crisis," Frolovsky said.

Russia has assumed a neutral stance on the Gulf crisis but it did offer to help Qatar with food shipments last year, he added.

A delegation of Qatari ministers of finance, foreign relations, energy, and culture, along with a number of other officials, accompanied Sheikh Tamim.

On the sidelines of official meetings, Qatar Petroleum and state-controlled Russian oil company Rosneft are expected to discuss possible contracts, and Qatar Airways will also sign a cooperation agreement with Rosaviatsia, Russia's federal air transport agency.

Five days before his visit to Moscow, Sheikh Tamim met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Qatar where they discussed the possible export of Qatari liquified gas to Ukraine.

Since the fall out with Moscow over the annexation of Crimea and the war in the Donbass region, Kiev has been trying to decrease its dependence on Russian oil and gas imports.

Sheikh Tamim's next foreign trip is expected to be in April to the United States where he will meet US President Donald Trump.</s>Qatar Airways is set to buy a 25 percent share in Russia's Vnukovo International Airport, one of the four major airports which serves the capital, Moscow.

Akbar al-Baker, the national carrier's chief executive, made the announcement on Monday, according to a report by Russia's news agency Interfax.

The deal - the financial details of which were not yet disclosed - comes as Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is on a short work visit to Moscow.

A spokesperson for Qatar Airways told Reuters news agency on Monday that a memorandum of understanding to buy the minority stake had been signed, with the deal expected to be finalised in eight weeks.

The Vnukovo Airport, which is located southwest of Moscow, is the third-busiest airport in the country by passenger traffic.

Earlier this month, al-Baker said Qatar Airways will report a "very large loss" in the current fiscal year because of a regional political dispute that has slapped restrictions on the airline.

Qatar's national carrier lost access to 18 cities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Bahrain when those countries imposed a blockade on the country last June, accusing Qatar of supporting "terrorism". Qatar denies the charges.

In other developments on Monday, Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The wars in Yemen and Syria and the situation in Palestine were expected to be on the agenda of the bilateral meeting.

On the sidelines of Sheikh Tamim's visit, Qatar Airways also sealed a five-year partnership with Cosmoscow, Russia's only international contemporary art fair.</s>On Sunday evening, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Moscow for a short work visit. Al Jazeera News reported.

On Monday he is to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the wars in Syria and Yemen and the situation in Palestine.

The work visit comes amid a massive evacuation of civilians and fighters from Eastern Ghouta near the Syrian capital Damascus after Russia negotiated with rebel groups to leave the area for opposition-controlled Idlib province.

According to Dmitry Frolovsky, a Moscow-based analyst, Putin and Sheikh Tamim will discuss Russia's position on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Qatari support for the opposition, and the possible participation of Qatar in post-conflict reconstruction of Syria.

"There is going to be division of Syria and obviously the most powerful parties in Syria will be Russia and the United States. Qatar for various reasons will try to maintain stable contacts with both of the parties," Frolovsky said.

In late January, a Russian-sponsored peace conference in Sochi failed to bring together the Syrian regime and opposition for talks. Shortly after, forces loyal to Assad backed by Russian air support launched an operation against rebel-held Eastern Ghouta.

According to Frolovsky, after the regime takes full control of the Damascus suburbs another military operation against rebel-held Idlib province is likely.

Тhe Sheikh Tamim's visit was preceded by phone calls between Putin and Abu Dhabi Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in early March and Saudi King Salman in February. In October last year the Saudi king paid a three-day visit to Moscow.</s>But when your country is Syria, you have suffered seven years of war, more than the duration of the Second World War, and when you are the victim of US-supported terrorists, and when the latter itself is barring you from visa while welcoming the Saudis who make up the bulk of the war The terrorist groups in your country with the human element and with funding, and when they sell their arms to the Saudi and Israeli war machine that massacres civilians in Yemen and supports the terrorists in Syria, when some ordinary people in Europe connect the word “Syria” – known as Daash – then you can only tell people what is happening in Syria!

The war in Syria is no longer about being a supporter or opponent of the government – even though it started as such, nor is it a sectarian war (between Sunnis against Shiites or Muslims against Christians) even though they (the aforementioned powers) tried to make them so. The war in Syria was adopted many years before it started. It is not even a war for oil or gas (which is a secondary factor), let us be frank and say it publicly:

Israel has vowed to destroy Syria and carry out the so-called “regime change” in it, being the last country in its history to be under its control. It has supported the resistance against the occupation and supported the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people (although Syria has never said ” In negotiations with Israel through mediation, when a draft peace agreement was reached with Israel in 1991, an Israeli extremist assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin for his peace initiative and thus died of a peace agreement with him.

Syria played a key role in the liberation of southern Lebanon in 2000 and in frustration Assault Israeli conflict on Lebanon in 2006, and then Israeli officials said they would “return Syria to the Stone Age” and Hillary Clinton said that “the best way to help Israel is to destroy Syria”

In 2014, the United States of America formed what was known as the International Alliance to fight dashing and began bombardment campaigns, which only led to the extension of the organisation, until the “bad Russians” and carried out the task of eliminating the dashing, and so faded or imminent.

The question remains: What do the Americans do or they come to our land ?!

 Ron Paul is a retired American politician, writer, and physicist who has made many explanations about Syria, the closest to reality among all American politicians. This recent report can give him basic principles to understand what is going on in Syria.</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Qatar Airways announced plans on Monday to buy a 25 percent stake in Russia’s Vnukovo Airport, the third-largest in the Moscow area by passenger numbers.

The deal was announced on the same day that Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, met President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

A Qatar Airways spokeswoman told Reuters the airline had signed a memorandum of understanding to buy the minority stake and that it now had eight weeks to finalize the transaction.

No financial details were released.

The airport is co-owned by the Russian state, which has a blocking stake, and Russian businessman Vitaly Vantsev and his partners.

Qatari relations with a number of Gulf countries are strained after Saudi Arabia and some of its allies last year accused Doha of supporting Islamists, a charge it denies. With its military intervention in Syria, Russia has emerged as a powerful player in the Middle East.

“We are counting on our Russian friends ... knowing that Russia plays a major role with regards to the problems existing in the Arab world... including the role where you help to solve some of our countries’ problems,” al-Thani told Putin at their meeting.

Russia is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his war against rebel fighters, some of whom are backed by Turkey, an ally of Qatar.

Qatar, together with global commodities trader Glencore (GLEN.L), has invested in Russian state oil company Rosneft (ROSN.MM). They both later agreed to sell part on that stake to China’s CEFC in a deal which has since stalled.

In October last year, Putin hosted Saudi Arabia’s King Salman in Moscow, who became the first sitting Saudi monarch to visit Russia.</s>"The fields have been developed, but there is an addition or expansion [of deposits], which has been announced, and it will be conducted in 2019 and 2020. Russian companies, like others, can try to win a tender, which will be announced later," the Qatari ambassador said.

According to the diplomat, the Russian economy is strong and provides good opportunities for Qatar.

Qatar calls on all Russian companies working in the fields of energy, manufacturing, and tourism, to invest in the economy of Qatar, including in the oil and gas industry, services and infrastructure, Attiyah stated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will discuss regional issues during their talks in Moscow on Monday, including Syria and Yemen, as well as Palestine, Qatari Ambassador to Russia Fahad bin Mohammed Attiyah told Sputnik.

"The leaders will touch upon the issues of mutual cooperation in bilateral relations, exchange views and discuss regional issues such as the Syrian and Yemeni crises, as well as other issues, including the Palestinian issue," Attiyah said.

According to the ambassador, this is the second visit of the Qatari emir to Moscow since 2016.

READ MORE: Qatar Continues Spending Spree to Bolster Military Against Saudi-Led Bloc

During the emir's visit, the leaders of the two countries will discuss the development of cooperation in the field of economy, tourism, energy, and military issues, as well as a cross-cultural year between the countries, Attiyah emphasized.

The Qatari delegation consists of the deputy head of the Council of Ministers, the minister of foreign affairs, as well as the ministers of energy, culture, finance, the head of the Qatari Investment Authority (QIA) and other officials, the ambassador noted.

On Friday, a source in the Qatari embassy told Sputnik that during the emir's visit, an agreement between Qatar Airways and Rosaviatsia would be signed, and contracts of Qatar with Rosneft would be discussed.</s>Qatar has released its first National List of Terrorist Classification which includes 20 individuals and eight entities, an official source said on Sunday.

The Qatari National Committee to Combat Terrorism said on its website that the terror list included "Sinai Province' and the Yemeni charity named Al-Ehsan, reports Xinhua news agency.

The list is based on a law on "combating terrorism" issued last July by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the statement said.

The Qatari move came one day after the signing of an agreement between Saudi Arabia and the US worth $12.5 billion during the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to Washington.

The Qatar government has issued the terror list in response to one of the 13 demands which were announced by the quartet of Arab countries boycotting Qatar,

The demands list included the closure of the Al-Jazeera channel, the severing of links with Iran, the closing of a Turkish military base on Qatari soil, and the severing of relations with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut all diplomatic and transportation ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha rejected the demands and the charges.

However, Qatar later signed a number of agreements on combating the financing of terrorism with major countries.</s>Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem arrived in the Omani capital on Monday for talks with officials, the two countries' official news agencies said.

Oman, a US ally bordering Saudi Arabia and Yemen, has good ties with Iran, a key backer of the Syrian regime, and has frequently served as a mediator in the Arab world.

Its state news agency ONA said Muallem's visit would cover "several days during which he will meet with a number of senior officials in the sultanate", without giving details.

The talks would cover "the current situation in the region and means of strengthening bilateral ties", as well as regional and international issues, said Syria's SANA news agency.

During the visit, which comes in response to an invitation from the Omani minister responsible for foreign affairs Yusuf bin Alawi, Muallem is to inaugurate the headquarters of Syria's new embassy in Muscat, SANA said.

The agency said Muallem was heading a delegation which includes deputy foreign minister Faisal Muqdad.

It is Muallem's second trip to Oman since the 2011 outbreak of Syria's conflict, during which it has been the only Gulf state to host a Syrian foreign minister.</s>DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar said on Wednesday a decision by four Arab states to add 18 groups and individuals allegedly linked to Doha to their "terrorist" lists was "a disappointing surprise" and that it was doing all it could to fight extremism.

 Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain put another nine groups based in Yemen and Libya and nine people from several Arab countries on the blacklist, saying all were associated with Qatar.

 "(The new list) comes as a disappointing surprise that the blockading countries are still pursuing this story as part of their smear campaign against Qatar," Sheikh Saif Bin Ahmed al-Thani, director of the Gulf kingdom's Government Communications Office, said in a statement sent to Reuters.

 "This latest list provides further evidence that the blockading countries are not committed to the fight against terrorism. As we have previously stated, all individuals with links to terrorism in Qatar have been prosecuted."

 Sheikh Saif said Qatar constantly reviews its anti-terror laws to "remain on the front foot in the fight against extremism and terror financing".

 The four countries severed relations with Qatar on June 5, accusing the major gas-exporting Gulf state of financing terrorism, meddling in the affairs of Arab countries and cozying up to their arch-rival Iran.

 Western-backed efforts by Kuwait to mediate in the dispute, the worst between the Gulf states in years, have so far yielded little progress. On Wednesday, remarks by a senior UAE official suggested no compromise would come any time soon.

 It was important to look beyond "crisis" and to think of it as a "new set of relations in (the) Gulf replacing old ones," UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash wrote on Twitter, adding that the current state was set to continue.

 "We have to go on without Qatar; a conservative Gulf monarchy, in (a) totally anachronistic place. Promoting policies and values it does not practice," he wrote.

 The boycotting countries want Qatar to cut back ties with Iran, close down a Turkish military base in Qatar and shut the Al Jazeera TV channel, which they view as critical of their governments.

 Qatar and Turkey have been important backers of the Muslim Brotherhood movement that has challenged entrenched Arab rulers. Qatar, however, said last month that charges of support for Islamist militancy "hold no foundation in fact".

 Doha signed an agreement earlier this month with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson aimed at combating terrorist financing, part of a U.S. effort to end the worst rift between Western-allied Arab states for years.

 In Tuesday's statement, the four countries accused Qatari, Kuwaiti and Yemeni nationals of helping raise funds for al Qaeda militants. Their blacklist now include three Yemeni charities, three Libyan media outlets, two armed groups and a religious foundation, some of which are already subject to U.S. sanctions.

 

 (Editing by Sylvia Westall, Larry King)
Sheikh Tamim of Qatar visits Russia to discuss the situation in Syria, Yemen and Palestine.