QNA
Astana
Ambassador of Qatar to Kazakhstan HE Abdullah bin Hussein Al Jaber has emphasised Qatar’s commitment to strengthening its relations with Asia, particularly through successful cooperation with influential organisations on the continent.
The envoy noted that Qatar was among the first Arab countries to obtain the status of ‘Dialogue Partner’ in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
He added that Qatar also enhanced its position in the region through successful cooperation with the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue.
He pointed out that in September 2022, Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding to join the SCO as a Dialogue Partner during the organisation’s summit in Uzbekistan.
Ambassador Jaber noted that this status is a preliminary step before granting full membership, requiring respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states and the recognition of the organisation’s objectives and principles.
He said that, as a Dialogue Partner, Qatar has the right to attend open meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the SCO member states and meetings of the heads of government of the member states. However, it does not have the right to participate in preparing and signing the organisation’s approved documents.
He said Qatar was just getting started with the process of gaining full membership in the organisation, noting that the latter shares values with Qatar like maintaining peace, stability and security in the region.
The envoy added that one of the SCO’s main aims is to build mutual trust, friendship, good neighbourliness and multifaceted cooperation to maintain and strengthen regional peace, security and stability, address emerging challenges and threats collectively, and promote effective cooperation in various fields, in addition to enhancing economic growth as well as social and cultural development.
Responding to a question on Qatar’s regional and international role, especially its successful mediation efforts in resolving conflicts worldwide, Jaber affirmed that Qatar is a key player both regionally and internationally in mediation and goodwill efforts.
He highlighted that Qatar’s location in the Middle East, a region marked by tensions and conflicts among influential regional powers, has driven it to adopt dialogue, mediation and preventive diplomacy as part of its foreign policy.
He added that the country has achieved significant success in finding solutions to ongoing conflicts, extending beyond the Arab region to Africa, Asia and even Latin America, including mediating a prisoner exchange agreement between the United States and Venezuela.
He emphasised that Qatar’s unwavering belief in soft power, international law and neutral policy, without personal interests, has earned it a reputable international standing and credibility.
Discussing Qatar-Kazakhstan relations, Ambassador Jaber stressed that official relations began in 1993 with the signing of the diplomatic relations agreement and have since reached a strategic partnership level, reflecting the strong desire of both countries’ leaderships to enhance their friendly relations.
He added that several indicators demonstrate the increased cooperation between Doha and Astana, including numerous agreements covering politics, trade, investments, security, healthcare, energy and food.
There are also numerous joint investment projects, particularly in major economic sectors and increasing visits by senior officials and business people from both countries, as well as mutual support for initiatives on regional and international stages, he said.
He explained that there are several agreements reached by Qatar and Kazakhstan regarding enhancing cooperation in all trade, economic, investment, health, sports, military, cultural and humanitarian fields, which have risen to the level of strategic partnership thanks to the distinguished efforts made by the leadership of the two countries.
He pointed out the promising prospects for implementing joint investment projects, particularly in the gas sector, with Qatar expected to invest in building a gas processing plant and constructing a gas pipeline in Kazakhstan.
Regarding trade volume, the ambassador highlighted the substantial progress in Qatar-Kazakhstan economic relations over the past five years, marked by increased bilateral trade.
According to Qatar’s Planning and Statistics Authority, Qatar imported lamb meat and fibre optic cables from Kazakhstan last year. The National Statistics Office of Kazakhstan reported a fivefold increase in trade volume between the two countries from 2019 to 2023.
