French ambassador: Macron’s Qatar visit secures winter gas, deepens defence ties

The French president’s visit also covered investment in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantum computing under the Strategic Investment Partnership launched in 2024French Ambassador to Qatar Arnaud Pescheux said President Emmanuel Macron’s recently concluded State Visit to Doha secured winter gas supplies for France and deepened defence cooperation, calling it “a visit of friendship, of gratitude and of solidarity”, but also of ambition.Speaking at a breakfast at the French Residence in Doha on Saturday, Ambassador Pescheux said Qatar will supply France with two terawatt-hours of liquefied natural gas a month over the winter.Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and President Macron also discussed helping secure ships, an insurance mechanism to lower transport costs, and land, road and rail routes to alternate the Strait of Hormuz, the Ambassador said. France’s proposal for a defensive coalition to secure navigation in the strait “remains valid”.On Iran, the French envoy said the two leaders share the same political assessment. Citing Tehran’s nuclear activities, ballistic missile programme, support for regional proxies and the closure of Hormuz, Ambassador Pescheux said “there is no military solution, and there never will be”. The leaders held an in-depth discussion on the U.S.-Iran negotiations, the envoy said, describing Qatar as a mediating power and France as a balancing power.On defence, Ambassador Arnaud Pescheux said the two sides will modernise the Rafale fleet and signed a letter of intent selecting KNDS and JCD for the land forces’ 8×8 programme. They also opened talks on further land-air capabilities in detection and interception.Ambassador Pescheux said France condemned the Iranian attacks on Qatar during the U.S.-Iran war and stood by it militarily, deploying joint patrols, detection and interception capabilities. “Shoulder to shoulder, we demonstrated the strength of our military partnership,” the Ambassador said, while thanking Qatar’s armed forces for protecting 6,000 French nationals living in Qatar and 2,000 who were stranded during the war.The French president’s visit also covered investment in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantum computing under the Strategic Investment Partnership launched in 2024, as well as more French teaching in Qatari schools and closer ties between universities, including HEC and the Sorbonne.Ambassador Pescheux praised the ceremonial welcome accorded to President Macron where Qatari Air Force jets escorted the president into Qatari airspace and Doha was dressed in France’s colours.The ambassador called Qatar “a choice of heart and reason, and a choice for the future”.