President Macron agrees with Qatar on LNG supplies for winter — Euronews

French President Emmanuel Macron, during a state visit to Doha, said he had reached an agreement with Qatar on supplies of liquefied natural gas for France’s needs in winter. As Euronews reports, this concerns the equivalent of two terawatt-hours of LNG per month during the winter period.

Gas and diesel supplies

According to Macron, the agreements are expected to reduce pressure on prices from November and help avoid shortages that some energy operators had warned about. The French president called the guaranteed gas volumes important for the coming months.

During his tour of Gulf countries, France also secured commitments from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for an additional 200,000 tonnes of diesel fuel per month. Macron noted that diesel had been one of Paris’s priorities, with gas being the next critical need.

Security in the Persian Gulf

After talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Macron called for utmost caution because of the unstable security situation in the region. He said he had discussed Qatar’s mediation efforts with the emir and that Iran’s response regarding negotiations with the United States was expected in the coming hours or days.

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The security of shipping through the blocked Strait of Hormuz was a separate topic. According to Macron’s assessment, transportation costs have increased tenfold due to a shortage of insured vessels willing to travel this route. France and the Gulf states are working on a response mechanism, infrastructure diversification, and reducing dependence on the strait.

Defence cooperation

France and Qatar also confirmed their intention to develop their defence partnership. Macron announced new agreements on further supplies to Qatar of Rafale fighter jets, radars, air defence systems, and armoured vehicles.

The Emir of Qatar called the talks productive and said that the sides had discussed strengthening their strategic partnership as well as regional and international issues. Qatar’s ambassador to France, Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani, said the countries seek to expand cooperation in investment, energy, defence, education, healthcare, and technology.