DOHA, Qatar

Qatar and France on Monday launched the first round of their strategic dialogue, according to the state news agency QNA.

This came during French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's visit to Doha, which began earlier in the day.

Le Drian met with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani where they launched the first round of strategic dialogue between the two countries.

Talks between the two chief diplomats also dwelt on bilateral cooperation and regional and international developments, including the situation in Chad, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Libya, the Palestinian issue, and the Iranian nuclear file, QNA said.

According to the news agency, the two ministers reviewed the output of the strategic dialogue “in various fields, including defense and security, economy and investment, energy, education, culture and scientific research, climate change and the environment, and sports.”

Regarding the Ukrainian crisis, the two sides underlined the need for a “diplomatic solution” to the Russian war on Ukraine and urged “respect for international law and international humanitarian law during this crisis.”

Earlier, the French foreign minister and his accompanying delegation met with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara