DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will chair the delegation of Qatar to the emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which will be held in Muscat, Oman, to discuss the situation in the Palestinian territories.
During the weekly media briefing, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director of the Media and Communication Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi said that Qatar declared its categorical rejection of attempts to forcibly displace the people of Palestine from the Gaza Strip and called for lifting the siege on the strip, providing protection for civilians, and enforcing international law and international humanitarian law.
In this regard, he pointed out that in implementation of the directives of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, a Qatari plane carrying 37 tonnes of food and medical aid provided by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) headed to the city of Al Arish in the Arab Republic of Egypt on Monday, in preparation for transporting it to Gaza.
He also noted the latest regional and international developments. especially in the Gaza Strip, and the meetings of the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs with a number of ministers of friendly countries as well as his phone calls with a number of fraternal Arab ministers of Foreign Affairs and other officials.
During the weekly media briefing, Al Hashmi added that the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Secretary of State of the United States of America Antony Blinken and discussed with him relations between the two countries and ways of supporting and developing them, in addition to discussing the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and ways to halt escalation and protect civilians. He also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, where the prime minister stressed to the Iranian minister the necessity of working towards an immediate ceasefire, protecting civilians and releasing prisoners, and the danger of the expansion of violence and the cycle of conflict in the region, which will have dire consequences if it expands.
He also indicated that Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held several phone calls with a number of fraternal Arab Ministers of Foreign Affairs, including Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Dr Ayman Al Safadi, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt Sameh Shoukry.
The prime minister also held phone calls with a number of other officials, including Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkiye Hakan Fidan, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom James Cleverly, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Hanke Bruins.
Director of the Media and Communication Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi pointed out that the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the State of Qatar's keenness to halt escalation in Gaza and spare the region from further violence.
Meanwhile, he pointed out that Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi will chair the delegation of the State of Qatar at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) emergency ministerial meeting on Palestine.
He also noted that Qatar participated in the extraordinary session of the Arab League Council at the level of Arab foreign ministers, which was launched at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League in Cairo, at the request of the State of Palestine and headed by the Kingdom of Morocco, to consult and coordinate on ways to stop the escalation and aggression against the Gaza Strip.
In a different context, at the conclusion of the media briefing, the Director of the Media and Communication Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Qatar announced on Monday the successful family reunification process of Ukrainian children with their families in Ukraine, within the framework of Qatar's unwavering commitment to serving as a reliable partner, and its enduring commitment to promoting peace, stability, and security both regionally and internationally; and its preparedness to play a constructive role in addressing crises and conflicts facing the world today.
