(MENAFN- Gulf Times) HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, has said that the state celebration of National Day this year comes when Qatar is experiencing extraordinary circumstances because of the siege imposed on it. 'This shows the importance of sending messages to the whole world that Qatar is following in the footsteps of the Founder in order to achieve the desired goals and objectives by promoting the process of sustainable and comprehensive development and providing leading models in various sectors.
In an statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the prime minister conveyed his greetings and congratulations to His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.
He also congratulated all the citizens and expatriates living on this good land, on the occasion of Qatar National Day, praying to Allah the Almighty to restore to 'us the memory of this day with the country enjoying the pride and happiness, and that everyone enjoy security, stability and tranquillity.
He stressed that the current crisis has strengthened the values of solidarity and cohesion between citizens and expatriates in the face of unjust measures taken by the siege countries, which are contrary to all international conventions, laws and norms.
On his vision on choosing the theme of this year's celebration, the prime minister said that the slogan of the country's celebrations for this year is ‘Promise of Prosperity and Glory' is quoted from the speech of the His Highness the Emir, on July 21 as his first speech after the siege has been imposed on Qatar.
He added that this slogan reflects the spirit of challenge, cohesion and mutual trust between the leader and the people, promotes the values of loyalty to the homeland, solidarity, unity and pride of national identity, and contributes to the advancement of society to face foreign conspiracies against the state. 'National Day is also an important symbol in the history of the country, he said, adding that it is celebrated as a kind of expression by all the people for pride, loyalty and love for the homeland and for renewing the covenant and allegiance to His Highness the Emir, who leads the country with wisdom towards unity and completion of the construction process, and development.
The prime minister noted that this year's celebration comes in the shadow of the unjust siege imposed on Qatar, a siege that transcends all customs, values and the codes of dealing between countries in order to pressure us to abandon our principles, and leadership, and impose guardianship until Qatar is subsidiary. He stressed that this is unacceptable to Qatar's leadership and people and even to the international community.
He added that the state has faced intensive media campaigns based on lies that began with hacking the website of Qatar News Agency and the publishing a fabricated speech on attributed to His Highness the Emir, followed by the mobilising ensuing, recruiting electronic armies to spread false accusations that Qatar supports and funds terrorism. 'These allegations contradict the reality that reflects international recognition of Qatar's efforts in the fight against terrorism and its contribution to maintaining security and stability at the domestic and foreign levels.
The crisis reveals the bad intentions and non-civilised behaviour of siege countries
The prime minister said that the siege crisis revealed, without any doubt, the bad intentions and non-civilised behaviour of the siege countries towards our country, but it has rebelled against them and has benefited our people who have successfully passed this stage, adhering to their national identity and giving the finest examples of steadfastness and cohesion between the people and leadership.
He stressed that the position of Qatar has been clear and constant since the beginning of the crisis, that dialogue is the only way to resolve it without affecting the sovereignty of the state or interfering in its internal
affairs.
He thanked in this regard, Kuwait Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, for his efforts to contain the crisis. He also noted the role of all brotherly and friendly countries that sought to resolve the crisis through the support of Kuwaiti mediation. He reiterated that the solution to the crisis would be achieved only through dialogue.
Qatar thwart crisis through strengthening the internal coherence of the society and investing in national energies
HE Sheikh Abdullah affirmed that Qatar was able, by God's grace, to manage the crisis and to overcome its repercussions with wisdom, awareness and knowledge, in accordance with well-made plans through which 'we were able to face the challenges of the siege and thwart it, through strengthening the internal coherence of the society and invest in national energies; continuing the development, infrastructure, health and education projects; upgrading the Qatari economy; encouraging local investments; protecting the national product and increasing production through promoting food, water and medicine security projects to achieve self-sufficiency, as well as improving the business environment in Qatar and increasing the tourist turnout, and other steps we have faced this siege.
Regarding foreign policy, the prime minister said that Qatar has conducted active diplomatic activities based on dialogue with all countries, bodies and organisations to clarify the Qatari point of view.
'These activities have contributed to strengthening communication between Qatar and its regional and international environment; opening up to the world; developing relations with brotherly and friendly countries and continuing to build relations on bases mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs, counting on the distinguished relations bonding Qatar with the international
community, he added.
The prime minister added: 'As His Highness the Emir has said, our relations with the international community have expanded after the siege more than before, directly with countries as well as with regional and international organisations. Our diplomacy has also succeeded in signing partnerships, agreements and memorandums of understanding, all of which contribute to enhancing Qatar's relations with the outside community.
In response to a question about the most important achievements made by the Ministry of Interior during the past year, and the plans for the next phase, especially under the unjust siege, the prime minister said, 'With Allah's Grace, and in the framework of our strategy and plans to provide the highest levels of security and safety in the country, we have made many achievements to keep abreast of the boom and renaissance witnessed by the state in various fields. As you know, security and development are inseparable. Economic prosperity and overall development cannot be achieved without security, so we have worked to provide a safe environment in all areas.
He added that everyone was briefed through the various media on the achievements of the Ministry of Interior in terms of positive statistical indicators regarding the state of security and safety as well as the quality of services provided to the public, both geographically and electronically.
The security situation in the country witnesses a significant decrease in the numbers of disturbing crimes
He pointed out that one of the most prominent achievements in the field of security is that the security situation in the country has witnessed a significant decrease in the numbers of security disturbing crimes compared to the global level, especially in major crimes reports to the specialised and geographical security agencies, as major crimes accounted for only 3% of the total number of criminal offences committed in 2016, explaining that major crimes are (murder, abduction, serious assault and robbery). 'This percentage is less than the global average per 100,000 population by more than 90%, which reflects the state of security enjoyed by Qatar despite the high rate of
population growth.
The prime minister affirmed that this decrease has also contributed to strengthening the state's position in various forums through ranking in the top positions in many international security indicators issued by neutral international bodies, to earn great credibility among all parties.
He pointed out that these successes were not coincidence, but they came as a result of the tireless efforts made by the Ministry of Interior in co-operation with all relevant authorities in the state, by mobilising human and material energies and employing them towards achieving the desired goals and objectives, putting Qatar on the top of the Middle East and North Africa in the Global Security and Peace Index, which assesses countries according to the criteria of (security and safety within the community, the level of local conflict, and the degree of supply of weapons and military equipment) for nine consecutive years.
Qatar achieves advanced positions in the regional and global rankings of the Global Competitiveness Index
Qatar has also achieved advanced positions in the regional and global rankings of the Global Competitiveness Index (2014-2017) in the sectors of combating crime, violence and terrorism, public satisfaction and confidence in the services provided by the police force worldwide.
Qatar also ranked first in the world index of the lowest countries in terms of the costs of crime and violence, ranked sixth in the world index of combating organised crime. The crimes of drugs smuggling and abuse significantly decreased in the period following the unjust siege compared to the previous period, where seizures of all types of drugs in the state decreased by between 88 and 99.9%.
HE Sheikh Abdullah added that 'as a continuation of our programmes and plans to combat cybercrime and its threat to the future technical structure of the state, we have enhanced attention to protecting systems and technical information and to intensifying procedures to ensure that there are no serious security gaps in the network infrastructure as well as to email and database protection and the quality measurement of locally developed software.
In the service field, the prime minister and minister of interior said that the Ministry of Interior has paid great attention to enabling the public to access all the services of the ministry easily in high quality in accordance with international standards through a variety of service outlets, in order to provide the time and effort of the customers, and focused on this aspect to expand the scope of access to services to reach citizens and expatriates in their geographical locations across the various service outlets as well as ensuring the continued quality.
He pointed out that these efforts have resulted in an increase in the rate of services performed through various geographical and electronic ports with the required accuracy and speed. 'This was reflected in the level of satisfaction achieved by the services provided by the Ministry during 2016 by 95%, referring that the transactions completed in the year up to more than 71mn transactions, a monthly average of 6mn transactions, with a daily average of 200,000 transactions, equivalent to (140) transaction in almost every minute.
The Ministry of Interior has also made it possible to enable the public to access the services electronically through the ministry's website, Hukoomi website, self-service devices, and Metrash 2 service.
'Matrash2 contributes to increasing the speed of completion of transactions, saving time and effort for the clients who deals with the ministry
He said for example, 'Matrash2 has contributed to increasing the speed of completion of transactions, saving time and effort for the clients who deals with the ministry, where they can complete their transactions through this platform, pointing out that the total services provided through this application have exceeded 160 services for institutions, individuals, organisations, and companies in a way that allows everyone to benefit from all services without the need to go to the headquarters of service departments.
'This service has received a number of regional awards as the best government service applications. The most recent of which was the Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah Award in Kuwait, which is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the Arab region, it is an award for innovation in the field of digital projects serving large community sectors, he said.
On the level of human resources, he said that police and security capabilities have been strengthened through continuous training, especially after the opening of the Police College and providing it with distinguished policing cadres that have been widely accepted by the community. In addition, a number of new buildings and premises have been opened for some departments of the Ministry of Interior to allow the departments to carry out the work entrusted to them in a work environment and in the same time accessible to the public, even for the elderly and the persons with disabilities, for whom special section is opened to provide the services in a short time.
HE Sheikh Abdullah pointed out that there are many efforts and achievements at the technical level, enabling the specialised security departments to develop their work, and upgrading their services and performance, in particular those relating to the safety of life as well as to private and public property.
As for the strategy of the Ministry of Interior during the next phase, he said, 'It is derived from our attention to achieve tranquillity and to increase the sense of security and safety for citizens and expatriates living in the country by reducing crime rates to less than their global rates, especially security, economic and electronic crimes in addition to Increasing the number of patrols, enhancing the efficiency of the operations room, the speed of receiving and responding to reports, protecting lives and property, the speed of emergency response to achieve security and safety, preparing to face crises and emergencies, preventing and reducing fires, and minimising the negative effects resulting from it.
The strategy of the Ministry of Interior focuses on protecting the society from the scourge of drugs
The prime minister stressed in the same context that the strategy of the ministry focusses on protecting the society from the scourge of drugs in all aspects associated with it, such as fetching, trafficking and abuse and the use of modern technologies to detect them, as well as intensifying awareness campaigns targeting all segments of society.
With regard to the efforts for providing roads security and safety, the prime minister said, 'We are working hard to provide security and safety on roads, to keep pace with the growth rates of the population of the state, and meet its need for development and implementation of major projects. This growth is accompanied by an increase in the number of vehicles and the use of roads, and we will focus on improving the efficiency of the traffic system in order to achieve the highest degree of protection for road and vehicle users, reduce traffic accidents leading to death and injuries, and enhance rapid response and access to the accidents scenes.
Future plan to continue the human resource development programmes as a cornerstone of Qatar National Vision 2030
He added: 'Our future plan also aims to continue the human resource development programmes as a cornerstone of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy through which the ministry achieves its objectives. We also seek to continue to work towards the optimal utilisation of financial and technical resources, utilising the material resources of the ministry such as buildings, equipment, tools and vehicles, especially as the ministry relies heavily on technology in providing services both to its internal and external clients. This is in addition to strengthening and updating our approach towards the establishment of modern buildings for all departments and organs of the ministry. As part of this, the new police headquarters, the General Directorate of Immigration, Rescue Police Department (Al Fazaa) and the Ministry of Interior Hospital are continuing to be completed as well as the headquarters of a number of departments.
The prime minister said, 'We have prioritised improving the quality of services to the public through access to smart services by developing existing services and adding new others, as well as through simplifying procedures, improving the working environment, dealing with the public transparently and keeping them from attending to submit service requests in addition to ensuring rapid access to the public and working to follow up public complaints and respond quickly in order to achieve a high degree of satisfaction.
The government's top priority is to improve the quality of services to the public through access to smart services by developing existing services and adding new others
He pointed out, 'Our priorities extend to the development of the system of securing the coasts and borders of the state, especially as the Qatar Peninsula has long coasts representing 75% of its borders, which places greater obligation on the Ministry of Interior to complete the coastguard fleet and to and strengthen it with modern naval vessels and equipment to counter infiltration and smuggling attempts, particularly drug trafficking, and to raise capacity to counter any hostile and subversive acts, in light of the changes and transformations taking place in the region.
On the symbolism of Qatar's celebration on this glorious national occasion, the prime minister affirmed that the celebration of National Day has great effect on memory of the homeland and embodies the meaning of unity and true brotherhood among its people and brings lofty meanings to the hearts and minds of all citizens and expatriates living on this good land.
He stressed that this historic day is a great occasion to commemorate the founder who laid the first building blocks of the glorious Qatar, the late Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani. 'It is also an incentive to inspire values of attachment to the homeland, sacrifice and selflessness, and a motive for deepening the pride and development of the state.
The country succeeds in hosting many regional and international conferences and seminars
He stressed that 'despite the continued siege imposed on us, the state has succeeded in hosting many regional and international conferences and seminars, in co-operation with prestigious international organisations and bodies, which demonstrates the confidence of the international community in the pivotal role of our country in the region as well as its security, prosperity and openness to all international institutions.
In this regard, he outlined the activities related to security organisations such as Interpol, which refutes the fabrications of the siege countries on our support for terrorism, pointing to the first conference for the security and safety of major events and the international conference on combating trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants, which were held in co-operation between Qatar and the International Criminal Police
Organisation (Interpol).
'We are proud of the partnership and strong relationship we have with Interpol, and these events underscore Qatar's reputation for good relations with various partners from governments and international organisations, he said. (QNA)
MENAFN1612201700670000ID1096241975
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.