Advisor to Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Majed bin Mohammad Al Ansari in an interview with Al Sharq.
Doha: Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are working to reopen their long-closed embassies as soon as possible, an official said recently.
Advisor to Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Majed bin Mohammad Al Ansari spoke on relations with the United Arab Emirates and indicated that there is positive progress in all the meetings of the technical committees.
"Work is in full swing, making mutual visits to facilitate the reopening of embassies as soon as possible and that the issue is currently procedural and it is expected to reopen the embassies in weeks," the official added.
Meanwhile in an interview with Arabic daily Al-Sharq, Dr Al Ansari, while speaking about the development of intra-Gulf relations, pointed to a positive developments since the signing of Al-Ula agreement, and the committees began working with different countries. The last of these meetings was a meeting with the Bahraini side, and there are separate meetings in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. "I believe that today we can talk about completing the march of cooperation with the brothers. On the political level, we saw numerous meetings between the leaders and mutual visits that took place during the recent period, in a way that expresses the aspirations of the Gulf peoples in the Gulf cooperation project."
"It was agreed to restore diplomatic relations, and now the focus is on procedural work. With regard to aviation, the technical committees began working in this framework for the return of aviation between the two countries, and it will be, God willing, in the shortest possible time. We are also awaiting the visits of the technical committees regarding the opening of embassies. These are bureaucratic procedures that will take time normally," he added.
"The same thing, with regard to the United Arab Emirate. There are also technical committees working between the two countries. There was a meeting recently and we are waiting for the first and essential step, the reopening of embassies and other procedures," he continued.
Dr. Al Ansari underlined that the Qatari diplomacy is based on constants and values that are not subject to negotiation or change, represented in standing with the right, achieving justice, supporting the oppressed, and ensuring the rights of people to self-determination. He added that this earned the State of Qatar a global position as a reliable and active partner in the international arena, and ensured the continuity and stability of its foreign policy and its positive interaction with its regional and international environment.
Dr Al Ansari said that the State of Qatar seeks in its foreign policy to help ensure a minimum level of good governance and achieve stability and prosperity in the region. This approach outlines the Qatari positions on many issues, on top of which is the Palestinian cause, as the Qatari position is principled and stems from the belief that this is the central issue for the Arab and Islamic nations, and it is not subject to negotiation or bargaining.
He highlighted the success of the Qatari mediation in many crucial files, such as Afghanistan, the Iranian nuclear file, and between the parties in Chad. He stressed that this success is the result of continuous work and intensive collective efforts carried out by the Qatari diplomacy, based on desire and serious study without prior agendas, which guarantees the success of the political endeavors aimed at achieving peace and security, not only in the region, but in the whole world.
The Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that Qatar World Cup builds on this achievement rather than being the beginning of achievement, leaving a true legacy for the state on the sports, diplomatic and humanitarian levels, which we are working to implement more effectively. "There was an affirmation by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, that the World Cup is not a Qatari hosting and championship, rather an occasion to rehabilitate the Arab region and the Islamic world in general on the international level. This region, which the western media and international discourse have always portrayed as a region of backwardness, crises and wars, has been able, through the World Cup in Qatar, to export in a month its culture, values and all that is beautiful in it, through this global event," Dr. Al Ansari said.
"Today, we in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said, are working to achieve the goal of building on the legacy of this tournament, which cannot be limited to the sports aspect, rather goes beyond to the humanitarian and diplomatic aspects that have been achieved in this tournament," he stressed, explaining that there are many opportunities to invest in these aspects through marketing, not only for Qatari investments in terms of economy, but also for Qatari thought that is based on the principles and values that form the foundations of the State.
He stressed that the World Cup was a stimulus for the country in general, not only in the field of foreign policy. "I believe that the most important and prominent change is this stimulus that helps us to strengthen the legacy after the World Cup. Today, initiatives are increasing, the volume of foreign work is developing, and our diplomatic relations have become more diversified. However, I cannot really say that this progress is only related to the World Cup, as there is a strategic vision developed many years ago to promote the external work of the State of Qatar under the directives of HH the Amir. A few months before the World Cup, HH the Amir made a very important European tour. Before that, there was a tour in Latin America and another in Asia. All these Amiri tours gave impetus to the Qatari foreign policy," Dr. Al Ansari said.
He indicated that Qatar was subjected, to malicious campaigns on many occasions, and was a victim of false information and misleading media on an international level. However, despite the relentless attempts and sometimes the concerted efforts of countries and institutions, parties and lobbies from different countries, the reality on the ground outweighs the right, especially in light of the cohesion of the Qatari society and its tendency to stand by the right.
He noted that the stereotype greatly affected the way some media outlets dealt with the World Cup before they came to Doha, but upon their arrival in Doha, this negative image was dissipated by the testimonies of international media professionals. This clarity with which Qatar dealt with international media campaigns, and showing the true face on the ground and not by exaggerating any achievement, proved in the end that the best way to resist this kind of campaign is to succeed and prove the truth in reality.
On the remarkable successes achieved by the Qatari diplomacy in mediation in a number of files in the past years, Advisor to the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari said that HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, when asked in an interview with the French Magazine "Le Point" about his definition of Qatar, His Highness said: "We are a reliable source of energy and a facilitator of peace." When HH the Amir answers this question in this way, it places a special responsibility to work in this direction, and alarms the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that it is a facilitator of peace and not only a mediator. This is an essential role and represents an important part of the definition of the State of Qatar from the wise leadership's perspective. Therefore, the role of the Ministry is to activate these mediations, and build on the successes to ensure that the next successes will be more influential in achieving peace and security, not only in our region, but in the world as a whole.
Recently, the Qatari diplomacy achieved a success in the peace talks in Chad, and activated the existing mediation between DR Congo and Rwanda. There are, of course, many efforts in mediation, combating terrorism and resolving disputes through the various departments of the Ministry and its multiple specializations which work within the framework of peace facilitation. We also have efforts in Afghanistan that build on past success in the mediation, Dr. Al Ansari said.
On Qatar's position on the conflict in Sudan, he said: "We issued a statement in which we called on all parties to a cease-fire and to resort to a peaceful solution and dialogue. The call for peaceful dialogue between the parties has always been the Qatari position on any conflict. Today, of course, we are very concerned about this negative developments in Sudan, and we have heard international calls from various regional and international parties to stop the ongoing conflict as soon as possible. There can be no delay in finding a solution because every minute equals lives. Qatar has always been ready if asked to play a positive role in facilitating negotiations and peace between the various parties and on a number of issues. Undoubtedly, if the brothers in Sudan ask us to play a role, we are open to this matter."
He stressed that the State of Qatar welcomes any regional or international effort that might contribute to calming the situation in Sudan, expressing the hope that this crisis in brotherly Sudan crisis will not be prolonged. He further hoped that these blessed days will see a resort to the voice of wisdom to stop the bleeding in the right of the Sudanese people, who have suffered a lot in recent years due to sanctions and political and economic crises in their various forms.
At the end of his interview, Advisor to the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari highlighted the existing cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United Nations, which has been greatly enhanced over the past few years by the efforts of the Qatari mission, led by HE Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, with the aim of enhancing Qatar's role on the international scene.
He noted the inauguration of the UN House Qatar which includes 12 UN offices. This represents a real leap for regional work with regard to the international system. He expressed the hope that this cooperation will enhance the presence of the State of Qatar, and achieve more cooperation at the international level in order to advance the multilateral work to make positive transformations, especially with regard to regional crises and humanitarian issues, to ensure global peace and security, and consolidate Qatar's role as a supporter of this international organization.
