Boao: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud yesterday participated in the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in China to discuss shaping a new Asian future based on a common destiny approach.
Addressing the forum, he conveyed greetings of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and said the international community is at a time where it faces many conflicts, something that requires more cooperation to overcome them.
He focused in particular on weak growth in Asia, high unemployment and lack of progress in poverty eradication and highlighted that the call of the Chinese President for more cooperation between Asian countries was Qatar’s policy towards all Asian countries.
He stressed that Qatar strengthened political, security and economic ties with all Asian countries and the Qatar Development Fund was an example of cooperation between Doha and friendly Asian countries in establishing development projects. He said Asia’s development will only happen by enhancing peace and stability in the continent.
Al Mahmoud said that investing in infrastructure to link the continent together is also an important part of developing Asian countries. However, such a project will require cooperation and creativity of all Asian nations, he added. Qatar was one of the first to back the initiative of the president of China to build a silk road economic belt, seeing it as an opportunity to accelerate the continent’s economic integration, he said.
He also stressed Qatar’s commitment to provide energy for Asian countries, adding that oil and gas transport will be one of the priorities of the belt. On the sidelines, he held separate meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Austrian President Heinz Fischer and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. QNA
