Doha, 02 Sept. 2022 (QT)

‘TUMPENG’ cutting, singing and dancing, and other aspects of Indonesian culture were on display at the Indonesian Cultural Day  coinciding with Independence day of the country.

Colorful event was organised by Indonesian embassy in Qatar in collaboration of Qatar Foundation and Association of Indonesian Communities, Qatar aimed to promote the country's cultural variety.

The event featured what Indonesia is known for, such as coffee demonstration, batik processing, and a ‘jarik’ instruction, among other things. This came as part of the celebrations of the 77th Independence Day of Indonesia, which was marked on August 17.

Spouses of diplomats from six embassies attended the event, including Lita Kadartin Hassan, spouse of the Indonesian Ambassador; Wipawan Khanthahiran of Thailand; Daphne Sohan of Singapore; Fazlinda Fuudzil of Malaysia; Farhanah Suhaili of Brunei Darussalam; and Tran Phuong Thao of Vietnam.

Also present were Faycal Haman Adama from the Directorate of Cultural Diplomacy, Qatar Museum; Alexandru Rosca from Communications Office at Qatar Foundation; and Farhan Al Sayed, chairman of the Qatar-Indonesia Business Council.

The recipient of the Indonesian souvenir was Aysha Al Mudahka, director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at Qatar Foundation.

Speaking at the ceremony, Indonesian Ambassador HE Ridwan Hassan emphasised the importance of cultural cooperation in strengthening ties between Indonesia and Qatar. “We see cultural diplomacy as an important component of our mission. Cultural diplomacy can help build trust and understanding
among nations,” he said.

He said that Qatar plans to develop a resort in one of the islands in Indonesia but this is not the only investment that Qatar and Indonesia has had in Indonesia.
“There are many Qatari investments in Indonesia especially in the banking and communication sectors, but tourism has become one of the interesting sectors,” he said.

The ambassador said there are Indonesians who have lived in Qatar for over 20 years and they have contributed to the development that Qatar has achieved. “The relationship between Qatar and Indonesia is not only established in the political and economic fields but also in the social cultural fields.”

At the event, traditional ‘angklung’ dances and music were performed by Indonesian cultural organizations such as PuspaQinarya, Indonesian Ladies Angklung, and Sanggar Seni Messaied.

Visitors  were also able to sample Indonesian traditional sweets and refreshments, as well as participate in Indonesian traditional games. Visitors were also able to witness the originality of Indonesian Batik weaving.

 

 

 

New York, 02 Sept. 2022

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan as his new Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). 

Ms. Otunbayeva succeeds Deborah Lyons of Canada, to whom the Secretary-General expresses his gratitude for her dedicated service.  

Ms. Otunbayeva brings to the position over 35 years of professional experience in leadership, diplomacy, civic engagement, and international cooperation. She served as President of the Kyrgyz Republic (2010-2011) and on three occasions as Foreign Minister, most recently as Acting Minister in 2005. She was a Member of Parliament (2007-2010) and served as Deputy Prime Minister in 1991. 

Ms. Otunbayeva has also held several senior diplomatic positions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States of America and Canada (1992-1994) and as Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United Kingdom (1997-2002).  From 1989 to 1991, she was President of the Soviet National Commission for UNESCO. 

Ms. Otunbayeva also served with the United Nations as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) (2002-2004).  Presently, she is a member of the United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation and the Head of the Roza Otunbayeva Initiative Foundation in Kyrgyzstan. 

Ms. Otunbayeva holds a Doctorate in Philosophy from Moscow State University and a degree from the Philosophy Faculty of the Moscow State University.  She is fluent in Kyrgyz, Russian and English. 

Doha, 01 Sept. 2022 (QT)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

Ambassador of Socialist Republic  Vietnam, Tran Duc Hung, in his message to the Vietnamese community in Qatar, has congratulated them on the 77th Independence Day of Vietnam, which is being celebrated with zeal and patriotic fervour on Friday.

Talking to Qatar Tribune on the eve of the celebrations, Hung expressed his gratitude to the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the government and people of Qatar, for their support to the Vietnamese community in Qatar.

“September 2 is the day to pay gratitude to the nation’s great leader, late President Ho Chi Minh, and all those who sacrificed their lives fighting for the liberation of their motherland. Seventy-seven years ago on the same day, great leader Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence to proclaim to the world our achievement of freedom from colonialism,” the envoy said.

On the bilateral relations between Qatar and Vietnam, the envoy said that both countries enjoy excellent relations based on common faith and mutual interests since its establishment in 1993.

He said that under the guidance of the leaders of both sides, the Vietnam-Qatar relations have developed robustly. The mutual contacts and exchange visits from various levels of the leadership have cemented bilateral relations in the political, economic, social and cultural fields.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Vietnam in August this year while Deputy Affairs of Vietnam Pham Quang Hieu attended the bilateral political dialogue in Qatar in July, the envoy pointed out.

Vietnam and Qatar are also committed to supporting each other at international and regional organizations. The two sides have signed an agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official and other special passports.

He said that in the economic sector, the two-way trade volume is worth more than $400 million. Both Vietnam and Qatar have agreed to create more favourable conditions for the promotion of bilateral trade and investment.

For instance, State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) of Vietnam and Qatar Investment Agency (QIA) have agreed to improve the effectiveness of cooperation. The two sides also expect to enhance cooperation in various fields such as infrastructure, energy industry, renewable energy, green technology, digital transformation and food security.

Vietnam and Qatar have also agreed to cooperate on the recruitment of semi-skilled and skilled workers, the envoy said.

Talking on future relations, the envoy said the years 2022 and 2023 will be exciting for Vietnam and Qatar as the latter will be hosting FIFA World Cup 2022 and both countries will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations in 2023.

Talking about his country’s achievements post-Independence, Vietnamese envoy said that over a period of 77 years, Vietnam has risen from a war-torn and underdeveloped country to become a low-middle-income one. On tourism sector, he said that inflow of foreign tourists has reached roughly one million mark, 10 fold of the number last year.

Doha, 31 August 2022

Microsoft announced this evening launch of its new datacenter region in Qatar, marking a major milestone for Microsoft as the first hyperscale cloud provider to deliver enterprise-grade services in the country. The new world-class datacenters are open for business with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 available today.

Launched by Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Communications; and Ralph Haupter, President of Microsoft EMEA in presence of minister, dignitaries and executives of IT sectors.

The continued investment is in response to Qatar’s growing demand for high performance computing, and fast and reliable access to Microsoft services. The new datacenter region will play a pivotal role in providing access to scalable, highly available, and resilient cloud services to accelerate the digital transformation and advance intelligent cloud adoption of businesses, customers, and partners across Qatar.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said: The launch of the Data Centre today is considered an important milestone in the process of transforming the State of Qatar into an advanced and pioneering digital center in the Middle East and the world. This journey was inspired by the Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to establish a diversified and competitive national economy.”

Al Mannai said that These pioneering projects in the field of digital transformation, communications and information technology would not have been achieved without the ambitions of the country’s wise leadership and its vision to this vital sector, believing in its crucial role in the development of other economic sectors. Legislative and legal regulation of the sector and enhance its attractiveness'.

Ralph Haupter, President of Microsoft EMEA said on the occasion that “Microsoft has more datacenter regions than any other cloud provider and today we are proud to deliver the first hyperscale cloud datacenter region to Qatar. This development will increase opportunities for organizations of all sizes and across all sectors to leverage our trusted cloud to innovate, better serve their customers and achieve their business goals – ultimately supporting continued economic growth that benefits all residents.”

Lana Khalaf, Microsoft Country Manager said that 'With its longstanding history as an early adopter of technology, Qatar has completely embraced cloud solutions and revolutionized entire industries to develop a new, advanced digital economy. Today’s announcement will enable the country to take these groundbreaking innovations to the world, showcase its standing as a leader in digital transformation and cement Qatar’s place as a global hub for innovation'.

Providing new opportunities for customers and partners

The Qatar cloud datacenter region will drive growth and scale for Microsoft customers and partners in the country. Microsoft customers across multiple industries, including the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology; TASMU PLATFORM, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy; and many others, have already embraced the Microsoft Cloud to develop digital capabilities and innovate in their industries.

Microsoft partners such as EY, Ooredoo, Vodafone, QDS, PWC, ICT, Malomatia, Intel, Mannai, Meeza, Starlink and Veeam are delivering transformative solutions across the Microsoft Cloud to drive customer success.

Building future ready skills for employability

Earlier this year, Microsoft, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), launched the National Skilling Program, with the goal to upskill over 50,000 people in Qatar through providing digital skills acquisition programs over the next four years. To date, the program had benefited over 14,000 people.

Microsoft has also established a first-of-its kind Digital Center of Excellence to help bridge the skills gap amongst the IT community and help accelerate digital transformation, in collaboration with leading universities such as MIT xPro, the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) and HEC Paris.

Delivering reliable, trusted, and resilient cloud, securely

Businesses of all sizes and industries can now host their cloud workloads in Microsoft’s Qatar datacenter, taking advantage of enterprise-grade reliability and performance. Customers can begin leveraging Microsoft Azure to develop advanced applications using AI, data and analytics, IoT and hybrid capabilities with advanced digital security and more, as well as Microsoft 365, the world’s productivity cloud that delivers best-of-breed productivity apps delivered seamlessly through cloud services.

With over 100 compliance offerings – the broadest set of compliance offerings and programs of any public cloud provider – the Microsoft cloud significantly empowers customers to meet local compliance and policy requirements. This includes the National Information Assurance Certification issued by the National Cyber Security Agency, which Microsoft received earlier this year.