According to information published by Spiegel columnist Christoph Schult, German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock nearly derailed plans to meet Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani over public allegations. In his October 29 article, Schult notes that it is not known exactly how the Emir learned of Bärbock's remarks in an interview with German television station ZDF, but emphasizes that Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was, according to the German Foreign Minister.
We are talking about Berbock's speech before the meeting with the Emir, when she stated that the meeting would discuss “demands to refuse to sponsor terrorism”. Burbock also noted that “countries like Qatar have a special responsibility in this matter.”
Schult suggests that such allegations may have caused the meeting to be canceled. The meeting eventually took place, with Qatar's emir explaining that Qatari aid payments were “coordinated with Israel and the United States and subject to strict scrutiny.”
Beerbock had previously been at the center of a scandal over her statements at the conference. For example, she said that Ukraine's future lies in the European Union (EU), which “soon will stretch from Lisbon to Lugansk.” Her words were condemned by Dmitry Belik, a member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, who called her statements baseless. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder also said that Baerbock should be more careful in her statements about Russia and control her emotions as head of the foreign policy department.