The State of Qatar participated in the Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which took place via video conference in the Republic of Azerbaijan on July 13-14.

The State of Qatar was represented in the meeting by HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Soltan bin Saad Al Muraikhi.

In the State of Qatar's speech during the meeting, His Excellency stressed that the State of Qatar spares no effort to contribute to regional and global peace, and said that its efforts have borne fruit over the past years in reaching a peace agreement in Afghanistan, and the Afghan peace talks that were launched in Doha last September. He added that Qatar continues its efforts, in cooperation with international partners, including the United Nations, to facilitate a comprehensive peace agreement that restores peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He pointed out that the State of Qatar has made a diplomatic effort to help find common ground between the Somali parties in order to achieve comprehensive national reconciliation and ensure the holding of elections, as well as its efforts to resolve differences between Somalia and Kenya.

Regarding Palestine, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs affirmed that the Palestinian issue still needs a just and lasting solution in accordance with the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and the resolutions of international legitimacy.

He stressed that the continuation of the repeated Israeli attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites, especially Al Aqsa Mosque, come the framework of a policy of Judaizing Jerusalem, expanding settlements and the unjust siege on the Gaza Strip which constitutes a flagrant violation of the provisions of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy.

His Excellency pointed out that the State of Qatar has spared no effort in coordination with the United Nations and brotherly and friendly countries in order to facilitate reaching a ceasefire agreement.

He said that the State of Qatar continues to provide humanitarian and developmental aid to the Palestinian people, with HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani issuing directives last May to allocate $500 million for the rebuilding of Gaza. He added that the State of Qatar will continue supporting the Palestinian people until they get their rights, led by an independent state based on the borders of 1967.

On Syria, His Excellency said that after ten years of the Syrian crisis, the State of Qatar continued to stress that getting out of this crisis requires a purposeful political process that leads to a political transition in accordance with the Geneva-1 Declaration, and the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254, and the Constitutional Committee represents a step on the right track, we look forward to this committee completing its work to achieve the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people.

With regard to Yemen, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs affirmed Qatar's firm position to preserve the unity, sovereignty and independence of Yemen. He called for a dialogue in Yemen based on the outcomes of the national dialogue, the GCC initiative, and UN Security Council resolutions.

He also said that Qatar was pleased with the positive developments in Libya, particularly the ceasefire and the formation of a temporary national reconciliation government. He added that the State of Qatar calls on the Libyan parties to achieve comprehensive reconciliation, implement what has been agreed upon in the political, economic and security aspects, and hold elections on the scheduled date.

His Excellency pointed out that this meeting was held in light of the persistence of many common global challenges, especially in the areas of climate change, terrorism, organized crime, drugs, and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has resulted in serious negative repercussions on all countries at various levels. He said the pandemic provided an important opportunity to activate joint efforts on a global scale, in order to achieve the recovery aspired for by everyone in the world. He stressed that this can only be achieved through equitable access to vaccines.

He noted that the State of Qatar supported GAVI with $130 million and the World Health Organization to provide vaccines to the most vulnerable segments.

He highlighted that the State of Qatar will host the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries next January, saying it represents a good opportunity to show the importance of international cooperation in that regard.

He also stressed that the State of Qatar is working on delivering its contribution 100 million to support small island developing states and least developed countries to address climate change and environmental challenges.

Al Muraikhi stressed that the State of Qatar is an active partner, regionally and internationally in the fight against terrorism. He noted that there were two UN Counter Terrorism offices that opened in Doha recently.

Source: Ministry of foreign affairs