Qatar says ‘no alternative to diplomacy’ as Belgium and Rwanda restore ties

Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari says Doha will keep pushing for diplomacy to end crises around the world from Africa’s Great Lakes region to the Gulf.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Tuesday, al-Ansari welcomed the restoration of ties between Belgium and Rwanda, 18 months after they expelled each other’s diplomats over the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the two countries thanked Qatar for facilitating their first talks in June 2025, which al-Ansari said led to further diplomatic rapprochement between them.

Al-Ansari said Qatar has long been involved in the Great Lakes region, including mediating between the DRC, Rwanda and the M23 armed group and hosting the June 2025 talks in Doha.

“It was a breakthrough meeting between the two foreign ministers, who hadn’t met for a while, addressing a lot of underlying issues,” he said.

He said Belgium and Rwanda trusted Qatar because of its record of working with both countries.

“This is the way we usually do it. We provide the platform, we provide our trustworthiness, we get the parties involved and then we hope that that trajectory would move in its own right,” he said.

‘No alternatives to diplomacy’

On Tuesday, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told the UN General Assembly in New York that as a mediator, Qatar has always sought to resolve disputes through dialogue and negotiations and “reach just and fair solutions grounded in international law”.

Qatar’s foreign minister also met his Iranian counterpart to discuss efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Gulf and create conditions conducive to dialogue.

Al-Ansari told Al Jazeera that there had been some movement in the negotiations to end the United States-Israel war on Iran in recent days despite many setbacks in previous rounds.

“We do believe that there is no alternative to diplomacy, and we cannot afford to let diplomacy fail,” he said.

“Right now, the emphasis is on keeping the lines of communication open, keeping the exchange going and listening to both sides,” he added.

Qatari leaders met US President Donald Trump on Tuesday during the UN General Assembly.

Al-Ansari said they told Trump the effects of the Iran war and of the conflict in Gaza and the occupied West Bank were being felt internationally and would only grow.

He said Qatar was working with Pakistan, Oman and other Gulf Cooperation Council states towards a diplomatic resolution.

“The sooner we get to it, the less the effects will be felt around the world,” he said.