H E Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani with Qatar's delegation during the conference.
Dushanbe: Qatar participated yesterday in the High-Level International Conference on “International and Regional Border Security and Management Cooperation to Counter Terrorism and Prevent the Movement of Terrorists” in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Qatar’s delegation to the conference was headed by Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Counter-Terrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution H E Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani.
In a statement, Dr. Al Qahtani reiterated that Qatar will continue to support efforts to eliminate the threat of terrorism and enhance border security and management. He praised the Dushanbe process, which represents a successful model for coordinating counter-terrorism efforts at the international and regional levels, indicating that this explains why Qatar supported the convening of the previous two conferences, in 2018 and 2019.
Dr. Al Qahtani pointed out that terrorist activities often have a transnational dimension, such as terrorist travel, including foreign terrorist fighters, arms and drug smuggling, and other illegal cross-border activities. He stressed in this regard that addressing these activities is extremely important.
He stated that securing and managing borders effectively requires international and regional cooperation in accordance with international law consistent with the fourth pillar of the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy. He noted that recent wars and conflicts as well as border disputes, including issues of demarcation and delimitation between states, have exacerbated this threat to regional and international security.
Dr. Al Qahtani mentioned that corruption within the border agencies constitutes another serious challenge that undermines efforts to combat transnational organised crimes and the flow of foreign terrorist fighters, affirming that border security requires international cooperation, capacity building, and most importantly the exchange of information and best practices.
He stressed that the participation of various actors, including governments, international and regional organisations and civil society, is essential to the success of such efforts.
Dr. Al Qahtani indicated that Qatar, at the national level, has modernised its national legislation and regulations, improved its capabilities and taken extensive measures in border security and management, as well as aviation and maritime security.
In this regard, he pointed to another vital component of the comprehensive border management in Qatar to achieve effective integration and high-level executive coordination among all relevant national agencies, as well as cooperating with relevant regional and international agencies, including making significant use of Interpol sources.
He added that these efforts have been intensified in preparation for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which will start next month.
