International organizations Despite Qatar's population comprising only 1% French speakers, the country was admitted in the
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie as an associate member in 2012. It was not required to join as an observer state prior to its full admittance.
Political In effort to mend ties between Qatar and the countries which severed relations with it during the
Qatar diplomatic crisis, France assigned a special envoy to mediate between the two parties in September 2017. After controversial comments made by the French President Emmanuel Macron over cartoons depicting
Muhammad, there was a push to boycott French products in Qatar and other Arab countries. In October 2020, an article published by
The peninsula Qatar, one of the news websites that has Qatar’s daily updates, told that ban came off and companies in Qatar announced withdrawing the removal of French products from its shelves/inventory. Another report from
France Diplomacy claimed that both nations share maintained relations since Qatar’s declaration of independence in 1971 and the mutual opening of diplomatic relations the following year. Consultations between the authorities, including at the highest level, are regular. The Strategic Dialogue, established in 2019, enables operational follow-up of the major projects which structure the bilateral relationship. The first round, co-chaired by the Foreign Ministers, took place in Doha on 28 March 2022. Since 2017, the President of the
French Republic has travelled twice to
Doha. During his first visit on 7 December 2017, several agreements were signed in the areas of the economy,
education, defence and the fight against
terrorism and
radicalization. On January 16, 2024, Qatar and France brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas. The purpose of the deal was to deliver urgent medication to approximately 45 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. As a result, the most vulnerable civilians would receive humanitarian and medical aid. The third annual
France-Qatar Strategic Dialogue took place in Paris on June 12, 2025, co-chaired by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs,
Jean-Noël Barrot, and Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Sheikh
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the Dialogue reaffirmed the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries and committed to expanding their strategic partnership across key areas. Moreover, both ministers reiterated their shared commitment to a rules-based international order, international law, peace and stability in the
Middle East, and close cooperation on regional and global crises.
Military fighter jet France and Qatar signed a defence pact in 1994. In 2009, approximately 80% of Qatar's military equipment derived from France. France provides military training to Qatar's special forces. In May 2015,
French president François Hollande and
Qatari emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed an agreement for Qatar to purchase 24
Dassault Rafale fighter jets to be used for
reconnaissance missions. In March 2018, Qatar purchased 12 more Dassault Rafale fighter jets as part of an existing contractual option with
Dassault Aviation. France delivered the first five Rafale jets to Qatar on 5 June 2019 – the day that marked Qatar's two years since the
economic and diplomatic blockade. In June 2019, as Qatar completed two years under the diplomatic embargo, the country received its first five of the 36 purchased
Rafale fighter jets from
France. The first aircraft was formally handed to Qatar in February 2019, but was kept in France itself before being delivered on 5 June 2019.
Qatar Investment Authority owned a 2% stake in French media company
Vivendi in early 2012. It also owns a stake in
Lagardère Group and construction company
Vinci SA. In 2012, Qatar entered in a preliminary agreement with France to invest 50 million euros in small-scale businesses in France's suburbs. However, the agreement drew criticism by France's political parties, and as a result, it was renegotiated later that year under the terms that it would not fund businesses based on their geographic location. In June 2013, a new agreement was announced which saw the French financial organisation
Caisse des dépôts et consignations become involved and the total value of investment raised to 300 million euros. In December 2017, both countries signed commercial contracts worth more than US$14 billion. In January 2020, Qatar signed a $470-million deal with France to build its first solar energy plant that could meet up to one-tenth of peak national power demand.
Total S.A. holds a 49% of the foreign investors’ stake in the project.
Security France, known for its expertise in internal security, plays a crucial role in the success of
Milipol Qatar (from October 29 to 31, 2024), the leading international exhibition in the field of internal security of States. The France Pavilion, a joint initiative by
CCI Seine-et-Marne and
Business France, highlights the country's commitment to empowering its companies to contribute to Qatar's dynamic security market. French companies showcase their cutting-edge capabilities in fields such as cybersecurity, drone surveillance, and protecting critical infrastructure. The collaboration on internal security between both countries are the key aspect of their bilateral relations, reflecting a longstanding and mutually beneficial partnership. This collaboration was formalized in 2003 through close cooperation between the
Qatari Internal Security Force and the
French national gendarmerie. The partnership has since expanded to cover various areas, including counterterrorism, crisis response, and specialized training.
Education French international school
Lycée Bonaparte was opened in Doha in the mid-1970s.
Lycée Voltaire, also a French school, was opened in Qatar under the supervision of
Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008. Several issues ensued between the school board and the Ministry of Education. However, for instance, the Ministry of Education attempted to manipulate the school's curriculum by removing a chapter pertaining to Christianity in the Middle Ages from one of the school's text books.
HEC Paris, a business school, became the first non-English, European institution to establish a branch in
Education City It also launched Qatar's first executive
MBA in February 2011.
Sport Qatar Sports Investment, a subsidiary of
Qatar Investment Authority, purchased French
football club
Paris St-Germain in October 2012. The club value was estimated to be worth $130 million, and the QSI invested a further $340 million in the club's players. Qatar-based
beIN Sports acquired co-broadcasting rights of
Ligue 1 (France's top football league) in 2014. During the
2024 Summer Olympics in
Paris, Qatar provides security assistance to France including security personnel, foot patrols, cyber security analysis and
drone surveillance.
Arts and culture Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani, a member of Qatar's royal family, purchased the 17th-century
hôtel particulier (grand townhouse)
Hôtel Lambert in 2007 for a reported $88 million. He came under fire after the attempted to renovate the building in 2009, with critics stating that any reconstruction would harm France's architectural heritage. ==Resident diplomatic missions==