Venezuela's Maduro arrives in Qatar and will meet the emir

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro shakes hands with Qatari Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi after arriving in Doha, Qatar, June 14, 2022. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived in Doha on Tuesday for an official visit and will meet with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Wednesday, Qatar's state news agency (QNA) reported.

Maduro posted a video from Venezuelan state television showing his arrival and commented: "We arrived in Qatar to continue with our International Work Agenda."

QNA said Maduro's meeting with Sheikh Tamim will "review the bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to develop and strengthen them in various fields, in addition to discussing regional and international issues of common interest."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is welcomed by the Qatari Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi after arriving in Doha, Qatar, June 14, 2022. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS

After Kuwait on Monday, Qatar is the second Gulf country Maduro is visiting in what is his first major tour abroad since travelling to Russia in 2019. His current tour also included Turkey, Algeria and Iran.

(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah in Cairo and Vivian Sequera in Caracas; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro meets with Qatari Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi in Doha, Qatar, June 14, 2022. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS