Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil meets with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Simón Bolívar International Airport on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Photo: Venezuelan Presidential Press.
In an effort to strengthen bilateral and diplomatic relations, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Tuesday. The Qatari official arrived in the country on an official visit aimed at deepening relations between the two nations.
The reception at Simón Bolívar International Airport in La Guaira state was conducted with full honors, including a red carpet and military parade. It is expected that, following Al Thani’s arrival, the prime minister will hold working meetings with top Venezuelan government officials.
Arribó al Aeropuerto Internacional Simón Bolívar de Maiquetía, en el estado La Guaira, el Primer Ministro de Qatar, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, quien fue recibido por el Canciller de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, Yván Gil, con el objetivo de cumplir la agenda de… pic.twitter.com/n6dD3vEsbu
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) February 17, 2026
This high-level visit follows a Venezuelan delegation’s trip to Doha in April 2025, led by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. At that time, the Chavista government sought to strengthen cooperation in the areas of production, trade, tourism, and technology within the framework of a multipolar world.
That diplomatic mission, undertaken after a working visit to China, laid the groundwork for technological and commercial exchange that could be deepened with the arrival of the Qatari prime minister in Venezuela.
Recently, Rodríguez accepted the credentials of the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Qatar, Salman Nabit Mubarak Abdullah Al-Khulaifi, in the Sol del Perú room of the Miraflores Palace, in the same ceremony in which she received those of the ambassador of the Italian Republic, Giovanni Umberto De Vito, and consolidated the brotherhood with Nicaragua through the meeting with its designated ambassador, Valezka Fiorella López Herrera.
The strengthening of ties between Venezuela and Qatar has its roots in May 24, 1973, the date on which they established formal diplomatic relations. This bond received a decisive boost starting in 1999 under the leadership of Commander Hugo Chávez, consolidating a common agenda that currently encompasses strategic sectors such as agriculture, trade, and investment.
The recent accreditation of Qatar’s ambassador in Caracas, as well as the arrival this Tuesday of Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, reaffirms the alliance established between the governments of both countries, following the roadmap laid out by President Nicolás Maduro Moros to strengthen key areas such as energy and tourism.
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Beyond these sectors, Qatar has joined international efforts to secure proof of life for the First Lady, Cilia Flores, and the constitutional president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who were kidnapped by US forces following the Jan. 3 military strikes on Venezuela.
In the early hours of that day, US military forces bombed Caracas and several areas of Aragua, Miranda, and La Guaira — an attack that left more than 100 people dead, including civilians and military personnel, with many others wounded, and resulted in the kidnapping of the presidential couple.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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