London, July 09 (QNA) - The State of Qatar does not view mediation as merely one of the tools of its foreign policy, but rather as a reflection of a deep-rooted constitutional conviction, HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi said.
He noted that Article 7 of Qatar's Constitution stipulates that the country's foreign policy is based on promoting international peace and security through peaceful means of resolving disputes.
In a speech titled "Qatar: The Future of Diplomacy and Mediation — Opportunities and Challenges" at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, in London, Al Khulaifi highlighted that Qatar's approach has never been based on choosing between relationships, but rather on preserving them, particularly during periods of deep disagreement.
He stressed that engaging with all parties should not be understood as agreement with them, adding that keeping channels of dialogue open during times of crisis may be the highest responsible contribution a "middle power" can make, because dialogue is not a reward for consensus, but the path that leads to it.
His Excellency said that international influence throughout much of modern history has been associated with military or economic power or geopolitical reach. However, he said today's world requires a reassessment of this assumption, noting that amid growing divisions, intensifying strategic competition and increasingly complex conflicts, the ability to keep channels of dialogue open when others believe it has become impossible has become one of the most valuable forms of influence.
Defining the concept of mediation, he said mediation is no longer merely a diplomatic tool, but has become a strategic necessity, pointing out that today's conflicts involve intertwined military, political, economic, technological and humanitarian dimensions. He said conflicts are no longer limited to states alone but also involve international organizations, non-state actors, commercial companies and global public opinion, making peacebuilding during conflicts, rather than after they end, an increasingly important necessity.
His Excellency said the changing international landscape requires a new form of diplomacy characterized by the patience needed to build trust, the flexibility required to adapt to rapidly evolving crises, and the credibility needed to engage with all parties even when communication channels collapse.
He noted that governments are no longer the only actors shaping the course of crises, as armed groups, international organizations, humanitarian agencies, financial institutions, technology companies and even individuals with global digital influence increasingly affect conflict trajectories.
He added that artificial intelligence can accelerate the spread of misinformation, while cyberattacks can disrupt diplomatic efforts, and public opinion can sometimes harden before negotiators sit at the negotiating table. This, he said, requires diplomacy that is faster, more flexible and more resilient, without sacrificing the patience on which trust is built.
HE Al Khulaifi stressed that mediation has become a strategic necessity rather than merely a diplomatic option in a world where technology has made societies more interconnected than ever, while building and maintaining political trust has become more difficult.
He said information travels across borders within seconds, while building trust between parties takes far longer. He emphasized that the role of middle powers is gaining renewed importance in the current international environment, noting that major powers remain a key pillar in preserving international peace and security, while regional powers naturally play a role in their respective regions.
Middle powers, he said, are distinguished by their ability to facilitate reaching outcomes rather than impose them, through maintaining channels of communication, keeping dialogue alive amid political divisions and providing diplomatic space that makes reaching consensual solutions possible.
HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi said also said in his speech that credibility represents a value greater than power for middle powers. He explained that a mediator cannot force parties to negotiate or impose reconciliation, but rather derives influence from trust, whether in the fairness of treatment, the confidentiality of deliberations, or the use of the process to serve peace rather than political interests. He stressed that complete neutrality may be rare in international relations, but fairness is always possible, adding that a successful mediator is not one who lacks relationships, but one who earns the parties' trust in managing those relationships responsibly. 
In his speech, HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, distinguished between the objectives of mediators and those of parties to conflicts. He said in this regard, while the parties seek to protect their political, security, or economic interests, the mediator's objective is to create the conditions that allow those interests to be pursued through dialogue rather than violence. He explained that the mediator does not determine the process outcomes, as these are decided by the parties themselves, while the mediator's responsibility is limited to preserving the possibility of reaching an agreement.
Dr. Al Khulaifi said Qatar's mediation experience confirms that successful mediation is based on three main pillars: access, trust, and perseverance. He noted that access means maintaining communication channels with all parties, especially when dialogue becomes politically unacceptable, while trust is built through consistency, confidentiality, and reliability. He added that perseverance is the quality most likely to be underestimated, as peace processes rarely follow a straight path; rather, they encounter setbacks, resume, and evolve. This, he said, confirms that diplomacy is not measured by news headlines, but by sustainable outcomes.
Regarding Qatar's experience in facilitating negotiations in Afghanistan, supporting humanitarian relief efforts and hostage release operations in Gaza, contributing to advancing dialogue in Chad, and facilitating negotiations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dr. Al Khulaifi said all of Qatar's previous experiences have confirmed that sustainable progress is rarely achieved through sudden breakthroughs, but rather through careful engagement, quiet perseverance and the political will to continue dialogue even when others believe it has failed.
He said a mediator cannot create political will where it does not exist, as success ultimately depends on decisions made by the parties themselves. The mediator's responsibility is to ensure that channels of dialogue remain open when opportunities for peace emerge.
He also pointed to an important paradox in mediation: a mediator's success is often accompanied by reduced visibility, as success is rightly attributed to the parties that choose compromise over confrontation, while the mediator's role is limited to helping others change the course of history, not write it.
Al Khulaifi explained that diplomats today operate under continuous public scrutiny, where any pause is interpreted as failure and any delay fuels speculation, while any confidential discussion may become a headline the following day.
He stressed that trust-building cannot take place at the same speed as social media and that algorithms cannot create consensus, because reconciliation remains, at its core, a deeply human process.
During his speech, HE the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs drew an important conclusion from previous experiences: the final stages of negotiations are often not centered on technical details, but rather on political courage.
He said agreements endure when all parties become convinced that continuing conflict has become more costly than making concessions. He added that mediation should not be assessed solely by the agreements ultimately reached, as much of its value lies in preventing escalation, maintaining humanitarian access, reducing misunderstandings and keeping communication channels open. He noted that some of the greatest diplomatic successes may sometimes lie in preventing crises from worsening, and that the absence of news headlines does not necessarily mean the absence of progress.
Regarding his expectations for the future course of negotiations in general, Al Khulaifi said the need for credible mediation will increase as challenges and conflicts emerge from artificial intelligence, climate pressures, competition over vital resources, unbalanced migration, pandemics and the growing influence of non-state actors — challenges that no single country can resolve alone.
He stressed the need to invest in diplomatic capabilities alongside military and economic capabilities, and to view mediation as a fundamental pillar of international peace and security rather than an option used only after other tools have failed.
Concluding his speech, HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, cited the late leader Nelson Mandela, saying: "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy." He said this truth embodies the essence of mediation, as dialogue becomes more necessary the more politically difficult it becomes.
His Excellency stressed that the influence of middle powers is not measured by the size of their armies or economies, but by a factor that is more difficult to acquire and easier to lose: trust. He affirmed that the future will not be shaped by power alone, but also by those who possess the patience to build trust, the determination to keep dialogue alive when others lose hope, and the wisdom to recognize that even the deepest disagreements do not necessarily have to become permanent conflicts. (QNA)