DOHA: Advisor to Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Dr Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari said on Tuesday that the State of Qatar's participation in the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings in New York, was an opportunity to highlight its global role and affirm its belief in international multilateral action, as a foreign policy pillar.
Speaking at the weekly press briefing, Dr Al Ansari said that Qatar's participation in foreign international forums was a cornerstone of its diplomatic activities, noting that its participation in the 78th UNGA meetings centred on main issues related to Qatari foreign policy, including mediation and conflict resolution, development issues, and participation in regional meetings.
In a related context, Dr Al Ansari highlighted Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani's visit to New York, where His Excellency held 18 bilateral meetings with many officials on the sidelines of the UNGA meetings.
He added that Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi held seven bilateral meetings.
Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater and Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi held several bilateral meetings, Dr Al Ansari added.
One of the key meetings in this context was the State of Qatar's participation in the SDGs Summit, funded by the State of Qatar in partnership with the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), Dr Al Ansari added, noting that Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed inaugurated the State of Qatar’s pavilion, which focused on promoting development and peace internationally to achieve SDGs.
Qatari senior officials held over 15 meetings in the UNGA, all of which focused on education, peace and stability, the Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan, post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery, and support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), as well as other meetings on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), mediation and sustainable development, in addition to the Security Council session on Ukraine, Dr Al Ansari said.
Dr Al Ansari highlighted the many paramount side meetings held on the sidelines of the 78th UNGA, such as the participation in several seminars and conferences, including the Middle East Global Summit, and others.
Dr Al Ansari highlighted Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani's 18 meetings with heads of government and foreign ministers of friendly countries, including meetings with Caretaker Prime Minister of the Republic of Lebanon HE Najib Mikati; Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland HE Leo Varadkar; Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium HE Alexander De Croo; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria HE Mariya Gabriel; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia HE Demeke Mekonnen.
The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also held meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran HE Dr Hossein Amirabdollahian; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands HE Hanke Bruins; the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden HE Tobias Billstrom; Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland HE Elina Valtonen; Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela HE Yvan Gil Pinto; Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan HE Bakhtiyar Saidov; and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Jens Plotner, Dr Al Ansari added.
The Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs held a number of meetings with United States Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Special Representative of US President for Afghanistan Thomas Wes, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljari, and Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates.
Dr Al Ansari added that the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs participated in a number of meetings and events, most notably the opening session of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, the coordination meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and the ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council with the United States of America.
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, President of the International Peace Institute Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad Al Hussein, and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell hosted a ministerial dinner on the Middle East, he added.
The Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted the participation of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi in a number of meetings held on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UNGA, including the annual ministerial consultative meeting of the ministerial council of the Arab League, the ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with the Association of Caribbean States, the ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with the United Kingdom, the ministerial meeting of the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) on the coordination mechanism for development assistance to Palestine, the Security Council session on Ukraine, the preparatory ministerial meeting for the 'Summit of the Future', the annual ministerial meeting of the least developed countries, the meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission at the ministerial level on the new Peacebuilding Agenda, and annual meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Group of 77 (G77).
Dr Al Ansari stated that the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs met with a number of officials on the sidelines of the UNGA meetings, including Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone HE Timothy M Kabba, Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam HE Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina HE Elmedin Konakovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Nicaragua HE Denis Moncada Colindres, and High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania HE Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka HE Ali Sabri.
The Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater took part in a number of international forums, including the High-Level meeting on Global Development Initiative (GDI) Cooperation outcomes for the Sustainable Development Goals, High-level Ministerial Event in Support of the Humanitarian Response in Sudan and the Region, High-level Dialogue of the United Nations General Assembly on Financing for Development, in the 22nd annual meeting of foreign ministers of landlocked developing countries, and ministerial meeting of main partners to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
He added that the Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with a number of officials on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UNGA, including Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Portuguese Republic Francisco Andre, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini, and Minister of International Development in Canada HE Ahmed Hussen.
Dr Al Ansari noted the participation of the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi in a number of meetings held on the sidelines of the 78th UNGA meetings, including in the ministerial meeting on "Peace Day Effort: An Effort for Middle East Peace, the 18th ministerial meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue, under the theme of "Sustainable Post-Pandemic Recovery", the 13th ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation, and the annual coordination meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
He explained that the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with a number of officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings, including Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office Vladimir Voronkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Rwanda HE Dr Vincent Biruta, Lord of Wimbledon and Minister of State for the Middle East, and South Asia and United Nations at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office HE Lord Tariq Ahmad, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Federal Republic of Somalia HE Abshir Omar Jama.
In addition, the Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the Qatari air bridge completed its mission of delivering aid to brothers affected by floods and torrents in eastern Libya as the seventh and eighth planes arrived at Benina Airport in Benghazi last Sunday carrying 58 tons of humanitarian and relief assistance as an urgent response to the current humanitarian situation.
He added that the assistance included shelter essentials, electricity generators, foodstuff, as well as relief and medical items provided by the Standing Committee for Rescue and Relief Works and Humanitarian Aids for Afflicted Areas in Brotherly and Friendly Countries, Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD), Qatar Red Crescent Society, alongside Qatar Charity, bringing the total Qatari assistance to those affected to 267 tonnes.
