HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said Thursday evening that the strategic relations between the State of Qatar and the French Republic are characterized by complete homogeneity, convergence of stances, and continuous coordination.
In a joint press conference with HE Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic Catherine Colonna in Doha, His Excellency expressed his happiness at the opening of the second Qatar-France strategic dialogue, which is an important mechanism to enhance fruitful and constructive cooperation between the two countries, and to agree on a joint action plan for the coming years.
The two sides stressed the importance of elevating the existing cooperation between the two countries, especially in the political, diplomatic, economic, defense and security fields, including combating terrorism, His Excellency said, highlighting that the political and diplomatic coordination between the two countries in the field of humanitarian aid opened new horizons for cooperation in this field.
His Excellency added that both parties have discussed over the past period ways of humanitarian cooperation in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine, highlighting aspirations for expanding this partnership to include multiple countries, as well as opportunities to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the field of climate change, energy export and energy security.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs added that the talks with the French Minister dealt with ways to strengthen the strategic relations that bring the two countries together in the trade and investment fields, indicating that Qatari investments in France and French investments in Qatar are the bedrock for economic partnership and important tributaries for the economies of the two countries. France occupies an advanced position in the State of Qatar’s trade partners list, His Excellency said, highlighting the opportunities that were discussed between officials of the two countries over the past weeks to direct these investments to new strategic sectors.
HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani expressed his gratitude for all the French Republic’s efforts to support the State of Qatar’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 hosting, especially in the security field, expressing his aspiration to support the efforts of the French government to present a successful and distinguished edition of the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Paris.
His Excellency noted that the talks with the French side attached great importance to the latest developments on the international arena, with the two sides having agreed on the need to unite efforts to reach goals that serve the security, stability and prosperity of the region, and support international peace and security.
Regarding the Palestinian issue, His Excellency stressed that the State of Qatar has always affirmed its firm position that supports the justice of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people that must be defended, the establishment of an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the need to pressure Israel to stop all unilateral measures it is taking against the Palestinian people.
His Excellency added that the two parties discussed the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, affirming Qatar’s firm position that calls for abiding by the UN Charter, slamming the attack on the sovereignty of any country, and respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
His Excellency added that the talks covered various topics including the situation in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Sudan and Chad, and various issues of international peace and security, expressing his aspiration to move forward with the strategic relationship between the two countries to realize what was discussed today.
Source: Qatar News Agency
