French President Francois Hollande’s state visit to Doha comes at “an important time”, Qatar’s ambassador to France, Mohamed Jaham al-Kuwari, told Qatar News Agency (QNA).
Al-Kuwari described the bilateral Qatari-French relations as “strategic,” implying close links, deep friendship and strong co-operation between the two countries.
Al-Kuwari said Qatari investments in France had reached a “very high-level” and were expected to increase further, especially after an agreement on the establishment of a joint French-Qatari fund to invest in small and medium-sized enterprises.
He underlined the “important” French investments in Qatar, referring to the world-class French construction and infrastructure firms, “which contribute in the completion of infrastructure projects, especially those related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup”.
He also stressed cultural co-operation between the two countries.
Qatar, he noted, had become an associate member of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
At the regional and international levels, al-Kuwari pointed out that France and Qatar had co-operated in many issues.
“In addition to this close co-operation, the points of view between the two sides are greatly close with regards to a number of regional issues of mutual concern, including the Palestinian cause, the situation in Syria, the regional repercussions of the Arab Spring and the Iranian nuclear file, which would give an important dimension to Hollande’s visit.”
The ambassador said that since the beginning of the nineties, the two countries had established the basics of bilateral relations “based on durability, co-operation, friendship and mutual respect”.
In 1995, he said: “Qatari-French ties saw giant progress thanks to the openness and modernisation policy led by HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani”, noting that relations continued to
develop in the recent years.
He said Qatar worked to achieve stability and security in the Gulf region and the Middle East as it realised it was in the state’s interest to live in peace with neighbours.
“We hope the strategic partnership between France and Qatar will enhance stability in the region and help in resuming the peace process in order to settle the Palestinian issue based on a two-state solution, which is the core of the Arab initiative and what forms, at the same time, the essence of the French policy towards this issue,” al-Kuwari said.
Speaking on Syria, the ambassador said Doha and Paris held the humanitarian side of the issue ahead of other aspects, adding that the two countries wanted to stop the bloodshed and protect the Syrian people.
Regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, al-Kuwari said: “Qatar is opposed to resorting to the use of force in this area, and we believe that negotiations are the only way to resolve this crisis and our position on this is no different from the positions of the French authorities.”
He said: “We believe that Iran has the right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and Qatar calls to free the Middle East of nuclear weapons, including Israel, a matter which would ensure stability and security and to ensure the independence of the region and the well-being of their people providing them with the necessary conditions to achieve
sustainable development.”
