DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani chaired the meeting of the 158th session of the Preparatory Ministerial Council for the 44th session of the Supreme Council of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which was held on Sunday in Doha, in the presence of Ministers Foreign Affairs of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The prime minister stressed that this preparatory ministerial session is full of many joint cooperation files between the GCC countries, which they seek to accomplish and have the honour to submit to the Supreme Council in its 44th session, in order to enhance the path of the Cooperation Council in accordance with the directives of Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the GCC countries to achieve the interests and hopes of the peoples and countries and to enhance security and stability for the region and the world.
The prime minister pointed out that "we have witnessed during the past days with great sorrow the barbaric aggression and heinous crimes committed by the forces of the Israeli occupation authority against our Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip, by targeting civilians and infrastructure, and cutting off basic and vital services, in addition to an attempt to placing the Palestinian people besieged between the hammer of genocide and the anvil of ethnic cleansing or forced displacement, all of which are war crimes and crimes against humanity”.
He reiterated Qatar’s strong condemnation of the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces, and its demand for an immediate, comprehensive and impartial international investigation into these crimes, especially the attacks that targeted civil, relief and humanitarian facilities, and ensuring that their perpetrators are held accountable and do not escape punishment.
He said Qatar has made great efforts in mediation to stop this war of revenge, and thanks to God, the joint Qatari mediation efforts with the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt and the friendly United States of America, between Israel and the Hamas movement, succeeded in reaching a humanitarian truce agreement in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of women prisoners and children between the two sides, and the truce allowed the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid. He indicated that Qatar will continue its efforts with all active countries to resume the truce and reach a permanent ceasefire.
He also praised the extensive tours and meetings undertaken by the foreign ministers of a number of sisterly Arab and Islamic countries - members of the ministerial committee assigned by the Riyadh summit - and their heading to the Security Council to demand that it assume its responsibilities towards stopping the war on Gaza, and forcing Israel to return to credible negotiations to achieve a just solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with the resolutions of legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative through the two-state solution. It is the solution accepted by the Palestinians and Arabs and agreed upon by the international community, which requires ending the occupation and establishing the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.
He noted that the Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab Gulf states are characterized by strategic importance and a distinguished position at the regional and international levels, adding that "we are all keen to strengthen this position by advancing cooperation, coordination and partnership to exemplary levels, especially in our current era full of common challenges and opportunities”.
He said that "our countries spare no effort in effective participation to address global and regional challenges”.
For example, and not limited to, Qatar is currently hosting the Expo 2023 Doha Horticultural Exhibition, which comes within the framework of contributing to the efforts aimed at achieving a balanced environmental world and constitutes a qualitative addition to the various initiatives adopted by Qatar, to achieve a balance between its development needs and the protection of its natural resources to achieve its national vision 2030, one of the pillars of which is developing a comprehensive environmental vision.
He congratulated the sister country of the United Arab Emirates on the success of the 28th session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), which is an important contribution to addressing this serious global challenge.
He affirmed the support of Qatar for the desire of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, adding, "We are certain that the Kingdom will organize a distinguished tournament, and we in Qatar are ready to provide support for this endeavour. We cannot fail to congratulate the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well for their victory in hosting Expo 2030, and we are all confident that the Saudi version will be distinguished, forming a remarkable and immortal addition to the history of this global event”.