German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday welcomed the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, for his second visit to Germany within the past year.

Scholz met Tamim at Meseberg Palace, a guest house used by Germany’s government located north of Berlin.

The location is considered a special honour, as Scholz rarely receives visitors from abroad there. French President Emmanuel Macron was most recently a guest at the palace.

Scholz’s government has sought to partner with Qatar to enable the deportation of Afghan citizens from Germany back to Afghanistan. Qatar maintains good relations with the hardline Islamist Taliban regime in the country.

Qatar also maintains close ties to the Palestinian militant Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the allied Lebanese Hezbollah movement, which are both embroiled in wars with Israel, Germany’s close ally.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are considered terrorist organizations by the European Union.

The wealthy Gulf emirate is considered an important mediator in the Middle East conflicts involving Israel because of its ties with both groups.

Qatar, which holds huge gas reserves, is also interested in investing in Germany and exporting liquefied natural gas to the country.