(MENAFN- The Peninsula) irfan bukhari |
The Peninsula
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said that the second Strategic Dialogue between Qatar and France is an important mechanism to strengthen constructive cooperation and devise a joint action plan for the future.
Hailing strong ties between Qatar and France, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the strategic relations between Qatar and France are characterised by complete harmony and constant coordination.
In a joint press conference along Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic H E Catherine Colonna, the Prime Minister said:“We stressed the importance of raising the level of existing cooperation between the two countries, especially in the political, diplomatic, economic, defense and security fields, including combating terrorism.”
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic chaired yesterday the second Strategic Dialogue session between the State of Qatar and the French Republic, at the Amiri Diwan.
During the session, they discussed the strategic relations between the two countries, the outputs of the working groups of the strategic dialogue, and the latest developments in the regional and international situations, especially the Palestinian issue, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
The two parties commended the important progress made in strengthening their partnership since the first Strategic Dialogue in Doha in March 2022, affirming their determination and commitment to bolstering cooperation and developing the full potential of their relationship in all fields.
The Prime Minister, in the press conference, said that the political and diplomatic coordination between the two countries in the field of humanitarian aid has opened new horizons for future cooperation in this field.“In recent past, there have been many occasions to discuss ways of humanitarian cooperation like in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine ... we look forward to expanding this partnership to include multiple countries,” he added.
He pointed out that there were opportunities to enhance cooperation between Qatar and France in the field of climate change, energy, and security.
The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that in the Strategic Dialogue, they explored ways and means to strengthen strategic relations in the fields of trade and investment also.“Qatari investments in France and French investments in Qatar are the basis for economic partnership,” he added.
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic H E Catherine Colonna chair the second Strategic Dialogue session between the State of Qatar and the French Republic, at the Amiri Diwan yesterday.
He thanked France for supporting Qatar's in hosting FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, especially in the security field.“This bilateral cooperation will continue during Olympics being hosted by France next year.” He said that it was also agreed in the meeting to unite forces to address many regional issues to establish peace and stability in the region. He reiterated Qatar's stance for just solution of Palestinian issue supporting the establishment of an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
On Russian-Ukrainian war, he said:“We affirmed Qatar's firm position on adhering to the Charter of the United Nations, condemning the attack on the sovereignty of any country, and respecting Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.” He said both the sides had also discussed various other regional issued including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Sudan and Chad.
Regarding security coordination mechanisms between Qatar and France, he said:“With regard to cooperation between the two countries in promoting international peace and security, the political dialogue continues at all levels through consultation on various issues.” Regarding cooperation between Qatar and France in the field of international development, the Prime Minister that the strong partnership between the two countries was manifested in various humanitarian projects in Afghanistan.
“We will expand this partnership in other countries, especially since Qatar is one of the countries which is active in the field of humanitarian and international development and its aid reaches more than 100 countries around the world... the joint work between Qatar and France is an added value in supporting these countries and reaching political solutions in areas suffering from crises.” Regarding supporting Lebanon, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs made it clear that Qatar continuously supports Lebanon. He stressed that the political solution, to fill the void in Lebanon, is in the hands of the Lebanese and no one else, expressing his hope that the Lebanese parties would overcome the differences between them and think about the interests of Lebanon.
Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic H E Catherine Colonna said that the second Strategic Dialogue will open a new phase of bilateral ties. She said that the dialogue would expedite work which was already done in the meetings between officials from both the sides.
She said that there was a joint will from both the friendly countries to raise the level of strategic cooperation in different fields like education, culture, economy, investment, defence, sports etc.
“In the Strategic Dialogue we tried to find ways and means to strengthen cooperation through joint initiatives and efforts in humanitarian field.” She also expressed her gratitude to Qatar for evacuation of French citizens from Afghanistan. She said that better structures would be built to enhance bilateral investments also saying that there was strong will from both the countries to serve common interests and vision for development projects.
She lauded Qatar's humanitarian works in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon.