Qatar has leadership, vision to be a reliable partner for peace: FM

QNA Saint Petersburg Qatar has a wise leadership and a clear vision to be a reliable partner for peace and security in the region and the world, Deputy Pri...

QNASaint PetersburgQatar has a wise leadership and a clear vision to be a reliable partner for peace and security in the region and the world, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said.“Qatar has been a facilitating country and a mediator between the various conflicting parties and has proven its success for decades in this field, and it is not something new for Qatar but a continuation of the same path,” Sheikh Mohammed said. He was participating in a session entitled “West Asia and North Africa Paths Towards Stability and Prosperity,” which was organised by the Doha Forum during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2021.On the recent developments in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli government’s request from the United States for USD1 billion and military aid to restore the Iron Dome, he said what led to the situation that happened in Gaza is not related to the restoration of the Iron Dome, or how strong or steadfast the Israelis are. It was in fact the behaviour of the Israelis in Jerusalem recently, mainly the evacuation of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and the provocation to the people trying to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque, most of whom are Muslims and Christians.The FM considered that all these behaviours angered the people in the West Bank and Gaza, and led to the latest round of violence, which unfortunately witnessed the killing of children, innocents, and civilians and the destruction of the Gaza Strip as a result of the recent raids.He stressed on the need to focus on building peace rather than focusing only on the resilience of one side or the other in the conflict.Regarding the role of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and the investment situation, the FM said the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the global economic landscape, created many opportunities, and stopped some businesses that were growing in previous years. He pointed out that QIA is focusing heavily on diversifying Qatar’s economy, and this means creating an alternative energy source for hydrocarbon.“We are very much focused on sustainable investments whether it’s in technology, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and those sectors prevailed even during the COVID-19 pandemic. And one important element we are looking at is to apply it to our matrix which should have any economic impact for the country that we are investing in and for Qatar and its environmental impact for the globe,” he added.“We are very much focused and determined even with the pandemic. I believe most of the sovereign wealth fund has done very well in terms of investments in the last year, and we hope that we continue like this. It is very important to keep our strategy very dynamic given the change in the dynamics in the world, (it) is getting much faster than before,” he added.On the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism and preparations for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the FM said the people will not stop traveling and tourism, which is seen in Saint Petersburg, as there are many people and everyone wants this pandemic to end as quickly as possible because they want to return to their normal lives, adding there is an impact on the work of hotels because of the pandemic, that needs a year or two years to return to normalcy.“Qatar is ready to host the 2022 Qatar World Cup even if there is uncertainty about the duration of the pandemic and how the vaccines will work,” he said, adding that Qatar has prepared an alternative plan to ensure that all people who will attend the World Cup have been vaccinated and tested to provide them with the maximum experience they would like to see at the World Cup. He expressed the belief that the World Cup will be a happy celebration for people after two years of lockdown, so Qatar is focused on organizing an amazing World Cup.Regarding the talks of leaders of airlines and governments about opening countries to tourists and vaccinations programmes, he said, “For us, we are talking with the countries that are currently closed... and we are following up with them what is the situation there, and I believe that during the coming months when the vaccination campaign achieve the level they aim for, they will open their countries,” expressing the hope that by the end of 2021 most of the world will have been vaccinated and the travel ban will be lifted.”In response to a question about Qatar’s plans to host the 2032 Olympic Games, he said Qatar is in an ongoing dialogue with International Olympic Committee (IOC), therefore, they cannot comment, explaining that Qatar has planned something that is fully consistent with the Qatar National Vision, and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and there is a lot of investment underway for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and the country’s infrastructure has been built, so Qatar will focus on delivering a sustainable, environmentally friendly, economic and social impact.