Doha, 29 Sept. 2022

By Ashraf Siddiqui

Turkiye's  geographical diversity, its numerous natural, historical cultural resources, the deep influence of its past and ancient Persian, Greek, Roman and Ottoman footprints, added by its trade ties along continents have all resulted in preserving the country as an amazing, fascinating, and majestic land for the wealthy and common tourists alike.

The country which connects Europe and Asia and shares its borders with Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Greece and Bulgaria, is dotted by prairies, sand beaches, rocky mountains and forests. As per a recent Reuters report, Turkiye’s foreign visitors jumped 53% in July from a year earlier, exceeding pre-pandemic levels and paving the way for $37 billion in tourism revenue sought by the government in support of President Tayyip Erdogan’s economy policy.

A large number of tourists from Russia, Germany, the UK, and Arab countries flock to Turkiye, which is among the world’s top 10 tourist destinations and is seeing an increase in tourist numbers each year. As per one report, in 2019, Turkiye welcomed no less than 46 million visitors. However, the government of Turkey has set a goal to attract 75 million tourists. This goal is supported by the country’s various sectors including airlines and hotels that play a significant role in facilitating the tourist inflow.

A group of Doha-based journalists, during a recent visit to Istanbul, met Tarek Mourad, general manager, Four Seasons Hotels in Istanbul, who has in the past served at Hotel Sheraton Grand Doha, Qatar. Talking about tourism in Turkey, he said he manages the 170-room Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus and they recently opened – after major transformation – the 65-room Four Seasons Hotel, at Sultanahmet, in the luxury segment of city hotels that host guests from all around the world.

Mourad said they hosted nearly 350,000 guests last year, registering more than 65 percent in room occupancy. About the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on visitors, he said the Turkish tourism industry is booming this year and there is still high interest from Russia despite the war. “We will most likely close the
year with over 80% occupancy. This is by far our best year yet, both in terms of occupancy and also profitability and revenues.”

Turkish Airlines represents a dynamic gateway connecting East and West, bridging continents and cultures around the world. Turkish Airlines is among other airlines including Qatar Airways which operates between a couple of cities of Turkey and Doha. As per briefing from the Turkish Airlines, it flew to new records during July and August as the flag carrier increased its seat capacity by 14 percent while the sector shrank globally.

Turkish Airlines took off to the skies on 20th May, 1933 with 30 personnel and fleet of five aircrafts. The maiden overseas flight took off for Istanbul to Athens in 1947. In 1951 with expansion of it's fleet to 33 aircrafts added routes to Nicosia, Beirut and Cairo.

It was 1955 when renamed to Turkish Airlines became member of International Air Transport Association (IATA).

According to monthly passenger traffic results, the global carrier broke its pre-pandemic record on monthly passenger count by carrying 7.8 million passengers
each during July and August of 2022.

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat, took over his role in January 2022 as Chairman, Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines,  said in a statement that, “we are the world’s biggest network carrier when it comes to seat count on international flights. With the effects of the worldwide pandemic lessening, global competition in the aviation sector continues at a higher level from where it left off.

As an exemplary airline with its performance during the crisis, Turkish Airlines was happy to fly to success after the crisis has passed as well. Our goal was to surpass our 2019 performance which we managed to do so with the efforts of our 65,000 strong work force; every member of our family contributed to this success”, Chairman Turkish Airlines added.

Touristanbul Program

Turkish Airlines Chief Marketing Officer Ahmet Olmuştur said that Turkish Airlines has introduced a complimentary package to it's travelers having 6-24 hours of transit at the Istanbul International Airport to discover Istanbul with Touristanbul program.

He said that the complimentary city tour provides transit passengers an opportunity to discover İstanbul’s historical and cultural wonders including Sultanahmet Mosque, Ayasofya Mosque, and Topkapı Palace, between their two flights.

“Citizens of 129 countries are discovering İstanbul with Touristanbul privilege; its program is prepared with the consideration of guests’ flight plan. With six different tours organised every day, passengers are able the choose the one that suits their flight times.”

Business Lounge, Turkish Airlines at Istanbul International Airport - State of the Art, Luxury, Comfort and Entertainment

Turkish Airlines Business Lounge has an area of 5.600 m² and can accommodate at a time around 765 people. State of the Art and unique in it's self houses 13 suites with 13 showers and a number of variety of live stations.

Rest in the lounge on comfortable couches and savor delicious, exclusive treats from Turkish and international cuisine. There is a wide selection of live international and Turkish cuisine from the catering areas which include fresh traditional Turkish pide and simit, a grill offering Turkish meat specialties, Pasta and vegetarian options. There are many unique designed areas  for reading books and newspapers, watching international channels and to relax in with a Turkish coffee or tea served with sweet and delicious.

It is equipped with the with the various games and large children’s play area. Business class passengers can enjoy golf simulator and a unique Hezarfen VR flight simulator allowing to fly over historical places in Istanbul such as Galata and Maiden’s Tower.

The lounge has six private meeting rooms designed for business people with the thought of every detail meticulously. Passengers has a chance to have a video conference or teleconference with their companies and offices while they are waiting for their flight’s departures.

Among other facilities at the Business Lounge include massage therapist (07:00-23:00), nursery room, lockers, charging units, ironing room, changing room, multi faith prayer rooms and free Wi-Fi.

Doha, 27 Sept. 2022

Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Qatar, Rashad Ismayilov has expressed gratitude to the leadership and people of Qatar for their grand stand on solving the conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia through dialogue and diplomatic means in order to preserve the interests of the two countries and the people. The ambassador was speaking on the occasion of the Memorial Day commemorating the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in defending their country on September 27, 2020.

The envoy said Qatar welcomed the agreement reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia providing for a ceasefire in the Nagomo-Karabakh region which paved the way for resolving the dispute between the two countries.

He said that in response to the next military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, which began on September 27, 2020, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan started the Patriotic War in order to liberate the lands of Azerbaijan, which have been under occupation for nearly 30 years. Ismayilov said that during the Patriotic War, 2,783 military officers of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces were killed, more than a hundred went missing, while more than a thousand were injured.

He added that under presidential decree dated December 2, 2020, September 27 was declared as Memorial Day in Azerbaijan.

He said that during the 44-day war, the occupied areas of Azerbaijan were liberated. The Azeri envoy said that after the liberation of Shusha, the second largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the agreement signed in Moscow between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on November 10, 2020, the complete cessation of fire and military operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone
was announced that the Armenian forces would be withdrawn from the Azerbaijani territories controlled by Armenia around Nagorno-Karabakh and the construction of new transport communications connecting the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the western regions of Azerbaijan would be ensured.

Doha, 26 Sept. 2022 (QT)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

China and Qatar are working together to write a new chapter in their bilateral relations, which have entered a golden period of great development, Ambassador
of People’s Republic of China HE Zhou Jian has said. Political mutual trust between the two countries has deepened, he added.

Zhou Jian was addressing the 73rd National Day anniversary celebrations of his country in the presence of Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, State Minister and President of Qatar National Library; Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, Director, Department of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs;  Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, Ambassador of Eritrea and Dean of Diplomatic Corps; Jai S. Sohan, Ambassador of Singapore and Chairman of Asian Ambassador’s Group in Doha; members of the Chinese business  community, Chinese students in Qatar and members of the media.

The envoy said that President Xi Jinping met with the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani four times, laying out master plans for China-Qatar relations in the new era. “The two sides established a strategic partnership and firmly support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns,” he said.

The Chinese envoy to Qatar said that mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries has yielded fruitful results. “Bilateral trade has more than
doubled to over $18 billion, making China Qatar’s largest trading partner, source of imports and destination of exports.”

He said that the Culture Year of China in Qatar has been a wonderful one. The agreement on mutual visa exemption facilitates exchanges between the two
countries, and the Friendship Committee and the Friendship Association between China and Qatar have continuously enhanced their close ties.

He said that this year, the leaders of both countries attended the Winter Olympics together, drawing a new blueprint for China-Qatar relations. Good news of cooperation in the fields of telecommunications, oil and gas, and engineering contracting between the two countries has been reported frequently, and new breakthroughs have been achieved in common development.

He also that two Chinese giant pandas would arrive in Doha in October. “This is a gift presented by the 1.4 billion Chinese people for the Qatar World Cup, and will surely become a new symbol of China-Qatar friendship,” he added.

Talking to Qatar Tribune, the Chinese envoy said that Panda House has already been constructed in Al Khor along with number of facilities including a joint research centre.

He said that he believes China and Qatar will continue to adhere to the ideal of development and rejuvenation, and maintain their friendship from generation
to generation like the lovely giant pandas “ErDou” and “SiHai”, unite and thrive in the journey of realising Chinese dream, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese
nation and Qatar dream - “2030 National Vision”

Ankara, 26 Sept. 2022 (Anadolu News)

The 14th plane carrying humanitarian aid from Türkiye is heading to flood-hit Pakistan, the country's disaster management authority announced on Monday.

In a statement, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD) said Türkiye continues to extend its helping hand to Pakistan, where millions of people have been affected by floods.

Türkiye has so far dispatched 14 planes and 12 "Kindness Trains" carrying humanitarian aid supplies to Pakistan under the coordination of AFAD and with the support of the government, municipalities and Turkish nongovernmental organizations.

Planes and trains loaded with over 25,000 tents, 409,000 food parcels and cleaning materials, 38,000 blankets, beds and pillows, and over 2.2 million pieces of medical equipment have been dispatched to Pakistan.

A total of 23 people – including 12 AFAD personnel, a medical team comprising three persons, and eight NGO officials – are working in Pakistan to coordinate the distribution of aid and to assist in the establishment of tent cities, the disaster management authority said.

Türkiye has also sent two mobile health units and 50 motorboats to the flood-hit South Asian country.

With seven more deaths, the number of casualties from flood-related incidents across the country has risen to 1,576 since mid-June, according to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority.

Some 803,400 houses have been completely destroyed, while over 1.21 million houses are partially damaged across the country.

The floods have displaced hundreds of thousands of people who are living in tents.

The monsoon season in Pakistan, like in other countries in the region, usually results in heavy rains, but this year has been the wettest since 1961.

Currently, one-third of the country is under water as the massive rains and melting glaciers have caused the country’s main Indus River to overflow, inundating vast swaths of plains and farms.

Doha, 26 Sept. 2022

Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs, President and CEO of QatarEnergy, warned that geopolitical and economic volatility in a post-COVID era are holding any progress we had hoped to achieve in the battle against climate change, and are even forcing us to take many steps backwards.

Speaking at the Asia Green Growth Partnership Ministerial Meeting, held virtually from Tokyo with the participation of Asian energy ministers, Al-Kaabi highlighted the impact of geopolitical challenges which have disrupted global energy supplies, impacted energy prices, and created concerns over energy security as well as accessibility.

He said: “Inflationary pressures are impacting the oil and gas industry through rising production costs, delays in investment decisions, and increased policy uncertainty. Such developments caused a setback in the kind of serious energy transition the world needs in order to address the immediate challenges of climate change. This has caused a serious erosion in public support for reducing carbon emissions in many countries which had earlier campaigned for greener energy and a carbon-free future – thus negating years of environmental achievements.”

Al-Kaabi called for a serious and realistic energy transition and for greater investments in cleaner and renewable energies to drive capacity and baseload capability, saying: “We also have a responsibility to help people recognize that emotional demands to “cancel” hydrocarbons is not only unrealistic but, as recent months have proven, is harmful to a realistic, accelerated transition,” he added, “hydrocarbons are not going to disappear any time in the near future. Cleaner forms of hydrocarbons, with appropriate carbon abatement solutions, are an essential part of a reliable and a responsible transition. In this respect, natural gas is certainly the cleanest fossil fuel, and a much-needed reliable and economic solution to manage intermittency issues - when the sun is not shining, or when the wind is not blowing.”

Minister Al-Kaabi concluded his remarks by voicing support to Japan’s “Asia Energy Transition Initiative”, and reiterated the importance of a responsible and a sustainable energy transition helping achieve sustainable economic growth and significant carbon emissions reductions with financial support for renewable energy, energy efficiency and LNG projects.

The Asia Green Growth Partnership Ministerial Meeting is held as part of Japan’s efforts to realize green growth, and to simultaneously achieve both economic growth and carbon neutrality in emerging economies such as those in Asia.

Doha. 22 Sept. 2022 (QT)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

BMC is Turkey’s largest manufacturer of commercial and military vehicles and since its establishment in 1964 it has manufactured more than 300.000 vehicles to date, Murat Yalcintas, Chief Executive Officer of BMC, told the media team from Qatar during their recent visit to BMC Offices at the Teknopark Industrial sector.

Those present on the occasion were Abdullah Deniz, Country Advisor, Presideny of the Republic of Turkiye, Investment Office, Qatar; Metin Olcay, International Business Development Director; and Gorkem Bilgi, Vice President, International Business Development, Defence. BMC offices are located in state-of-the-art Teknopark sector in Istanbul with the aim to provide protection of technology and to mediate the economy with the idea, invention, innovation, and high
value-added information.

Murat Yalcintas, in his briefing to the media team from Qatar, said that BMC productions are being utilized in more than 80 countries all across the globe. “BMC offers special solutions for automotive and defence industries with its modern facilities in Sakarya, Turkey and Izmir, Turkey wide product range, qualified workforce, and high production capacity.

In addition to the factories, Yalcintas said, BMC has three coordination/liaison offices – in Ankara, İstanbul and Doha – to follow up the ongoing and future project and business cooperation opportunities not only in Turkey and Qatar, but also in all the regions from Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Americas.

BMC Production Facilities, he noted, is designed with the flexibility to manufacture many commercial and defence industry vehicles with different configurations
ranging from commercial buses to trucks, and from armoured vehicles protected against mines to tactical wheeled vehicles. “All performance tests for the prototypes developed with superior engineering capabilities and advanced manufacturing technology are performed according to the international standards”.

The BMC CEO added that a dynamic and powerful human resource with more than 3,000 employees, BMC owns all its solutions ranging from design to R&D, and from production to sales marketing and after sales services. “BMC, with its multinational business culture and history, intends to take a step to initiate a long-term win-win business opportunity all around the world in over 80 countries since 1964.

With the partnership of the Qatar Armed Forces Industrial Committee in 2014 with BMC, our vision and mission started to target to be the one of most reliable and developed OEM country for military and commercial vehicle suppliers,” he said.

“With this increasing business and industrial collaboration, at BMC, our first aim is to establish Local Logistic Center to conduct maintenance activities, trainings, spare part warehouse in Qatar, using this logistic support center as the central hub for Middle-East and Africa is the next step,” he added.

Ozlem Telatar, Corporate Communications Manager, Teknopark Istanbul, in her briefing to the visiting Doha based journalists, said, “the principal purpose of  establishing the research hub of Teknopark istanbul is to increase the wealth of the society by supporting the culture of innovation and competitiveness of knowledge-based companies, manage and promote the flow of information and technology between universities, R&D institutions, firms, and the sector.

Facilitating the formation and growth of innovative companies with the incubation centers they host, Techno parks provide high-quality spaces to these companies and provide value-added services”. Teknopark Istanbul was built in four modules to provide services in accordance with the potential of Istanbul, namely Collaboration Development, Project Development, Industrial Property Rights, and Cluster Supports. The first-ever Teknopark was founded in 1952 in Northern California, USA under the name Stanford Research Park(Silicon Valley).

In Turkey, a great emphasis is given on technological expertise programs with the collaboration and cooperation between the public sector, industry and the. University.

According to the information announced by Turkish Ministry of Science, Industry, and Technology, 67 of the 85 Technology Development Zones continue to operate, while 18 of them are still not operational due to the continuing infrastructure works.

Telatar said there are 416 R&D companies in operation with 8,374 engineers, 844 ongoing projects, 2,823 national projects, 300 graduate incubation companies and 120-plus incubation companies settled in Teknopark Istanbul.

Doha, 22 September 2022 (QT)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

A group of Doha based journalists recently visited Turkey and met with a number of leaders from various sectors including business, investment, finance,  industry, real estate, science and research, construction, media, as well as aviation leaders and experts.

The visit was organised by the embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Qatar for the journalists to witness the smooth growth and development of the Turkish economy as well as Qatar’s investment in various sectors including finance, banking, retail, hospitality, real estate and defence production.

The journalists from Qatar got the opportunity to visit various areas and see on ground the sectors where the two countries have a huge potential for mutual cooperation and support, and to exchange their experience and expertise in areas where they are likely to join hands for the benefit of both sides.

Ahmet Burak Daglioglu, president, Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Investment Office, said that direct Qatari investments into Turkey until the end of December 2021 was recorded at around $10.3 billion. “Such a handsome investment shows strong and close relations between the leaderships of the two brotherly countries as well as the confidence in the Turkish economy,” he said.

Daglioglu added, “Turkey appreciates and attaches great value to Qatar which is a major investor from the Gulf states and we are confident on taking these relations to further higher levels.”

Daglioglu said that Turkish strategic position as a gateway to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Middle East, and its friendly business policies including various incentives to individuals as well as on corporate level supported by sound capabilities of handling global challenges and the fast-growing domestic economy, are the key
attractions for investors.

Replying to a question on the challenges the local currency has been through, he said that inflation has already reached its peak and it’s time now for it to drop. Long-term table investments, he noted, will help create more jobs.

Explaining why Turkey remains such an attractive destination for investment, the chief of Turkish investment division said that almost half of the Turkish population is under age 32, adding that the country produces around a million university graduates who come with a slew of skills in IT, science, technology, engineering, automotive, industrial field and various other areas.

Daglioglu, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Masters in Finance, has served in various positions from 2010 to 2015 including as project director responsible for investment projects from the Gulf States, the USA, Japan and India. He has also served as vice president of the Investment Office from 2015 to 2020 and was appointed member of the Board of Turkey Wealth Funds in November 2020.

The Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Investment Office has its branch office located in Qatar Financial Center (QFC) headquarters in Doha represented by Abdullah Deniz. The office was established in October 2021.

Turkish Ambassador to Qatar Dr. Mustafa Goksu had said on the opening ceremony of the office that “Qatari businesses will now have access to the many advantages that these offices offer. Investors seeking to analyse the Turkish market will also have all the information they need available to them at the office branches”.

QFC CEO Yousuf Mohamed Al Jaida had said that the branches would be very important for strengthening the investment and trade relations of the two countries.

Senior officials at the Borsa Headquarters, the Istanbul Stock Exchange, briefed members of the media from Qatar on the importance of the Istanbul stock exchange, which is just around four hours away from any capital of the European countries and from the Middle East.

Turkey recorded 11% GDP growth in 2021 and in the Q2 of 2022 it has seen 7.6% GDP growth. Turkish economy was reported as the world’s 11th largest economy in 2021 with the Per Capita GDP of $9,539 in the same year.

Inviting Qatari investors, the official said that foreign investors have safe and easy trading opportunities, with no restriction on capital inflows and outflows, and access to a wide variety of securities products traded in four different markets. He said that Q a t a r Investment Authority has 10% of stake in Istanbul Stock Exchange, to the value of $200 m as per the November 2020 agreement between Qatar Investment Authority and Turkey Wealth Fund.

The official said that Turkey’s strong regulatory and extremely strong technology infrastructure would be invaluable to Qatari investors. He added that recently a resolution was moved in Turkish Parliament to elevate Istanbul Financial Center to the position of International Financial Center owing to its strategic position in the European region.

Moreover, both Qatar Financial Center and Istanbul Financial Center are in collaboration as both signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2019.

Doha, 24 Sept. 2022 (QE)

QatarEnergy announced that it has selected TotalEnergies as the first international partner in the North Field South (NFS) expansion project.

The NFS project, which comprises 2 LNG mega trains with a combined capacity of 16 million tons per annum (MTPA), will raise Qatar’s total LNG export capacity to 126 MTPA.

The partnership agreement was signed by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs, President and CEO of QatarEnergy, and Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman of the Board and CEO of TotalEnergies during a ceremony held today at QatarEnergy’s headquarters. Present on the occasion were senior executives from both companies.

Pursuant to the agreement, TotalEnergies will have an effective net participating interest of 9.375% in the NFS project (out of a total 25% interest available for international partners) while QatarEnergy will hold a 75% interest.

In his remarks during the ceremony, Al-Kaabi said. 'QatarEnergy is moving forward, to help meet growing global demand for cleaner energy, of which LNG is the backbone for a serious and realistic energy transition. We are committing significant investments to lower the carbon intensity of our energy products, which constitutes a key pillar of QatarEnergy’s sustainability and energy transition strategy'.

“We will continue our efforts to power lives in every corner of the world for a better tomorrow for all,” AlKaabi added.

He welcomed TotalEnergies to this new project and said “I am pleased to welcome TotalEnergies yet again as a partner in our flagship LNG projects.”

He thanked the working teams at QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies for their excellent cooperation that led to this agreement. 'I also would like to thank the Qatargas leadership and project teams for their efforts in implementing the North Field expansion projects on schedule, and with an outstanding safety record. Most importantly, we are forever grateful to the wise leadership of the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and for his unlimited support of Qatar’s energy sector, the minister concluded.

The North Field Expansion Project, comprising NFS and the North Field East (NFE) expansion projects, is the industry’s largest ever LNG project. It will start production in 2026 and will add more than 48 MTPA to the world’s LNG supplies. Five partnership agreements have been signed in June and July this year covering the NFE project, which comprises 4 mega LNG trains with a combined capacity of 32 MTPA.

This unique project is characterized by the highest health, safety, and environmental standards, including carbon capture and sequestration, to reduce the project’s overall carbon footprint to the lowest levels possible.

Other partners in the NFS project will be announced in due course.

 

New York, 20 Sept. 2022 (GCO)

Amir of State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad  Al Thani, took part in the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly on 20 September 2022. During the opening session, the Amir delivered a speech in which he addressed several international issues.

He called for an urgent ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and the immediate pursuit of a peaceful resolution to the conflict, stressing that prolonging the war will not change its outcome.

The Amir also addressed the Palestinian issue, reiterating the need for the Security Council to take its responsibility and put an end to the occupation of Palestinian lands and oversee the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Speaking about the Syrian situation, he said that the international community had failed to hold war criminals accountable for the crimes they perpetrated. Not only that, but “some are seeking to turn the page on the tragedy of the Syrian people” without accountability.

Addressing the Libyan crisis, Amir of Qatar called for immediate international action to conclude the political process, agree on a constitutional basis for elections and unify state institutions.

He noted a glimmer of hope in Yemen through the agreement of the parties to a temporary truce, expressing his aspiration for a comprehensive ceasefire in preparation for negotiations between the Yemeni parties based on the outcomes of the National Dialogue, the GCC Initiative and relevant Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution 2216.

Additionally, he addressed Iran in the context of the nuclear deal, stressing that the State of Qatar believes in reaching a just agreement that takes into account the concerns of all parties.

On Afghanistan, he called on all parties to build on the outcomes of the Doha Agreement.

Amir of Qatar said, “By virtue of Qatar’s investment in liquefied natural gas decades ago, we have now been able to embark on the expansion of the North Gas Field, which will play a pivotal role in mitigating the energy shortage crisis in significant parts of the world.”

He stressed that the approach adopted by the State of Qatar is based on focusing efforts on realising national and human development for its people, and on a foreign policy predicated on balancing interests and principles and on mediation to resolve disputes through peaceful means.

Regarding the hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Amir of Qatar said that Qatar looks forward to welcoming people from around the world in November of this year, highlighting the determination, planning and hard work that have been put in while taking up this challenge.

He stressed that this tournament, which is being held for the first time in an Arab and Muslim country, will help the world realise that small and medium-sized countries are also able to host global events with exceptional success.

Amir of Qatar concluded his speech by saying, “I invite you all to come to Qatar and enjoy this unique tournament, you are all welcome.”