Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) yesterday hosted a special event, ‘Come together for Qatar’, which featured a live telecast of the address of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the 72nd United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
The audience at the QF event, comprising both citizens and expatriates, welcomed His Highness the Emir’s observations with a thunderous applause and further expressed their solidarity with Qatar. The event held at the Student Centre of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, was attended by HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, vice-chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, senior leadership of QF and officials from different member organisations.
The gathering also included a huge turnout of students from various institutions in Education City as well as members of the  public.
During his address, His Highness the Emir spoke about the unjust siege of Qatar and renewed the call for an unconditional dialogue based on a mutual respect for sovereignty. He also lauded the people of Qatar, both citizens and expatriates, for their unflinching support for the country and withstanding the blockade.
Further, he appreciated the mediation efforts initiated by Kuwait as well as the stance of sisterly and friendly countries that recognise the significance of respecting the sovereignty of States and international law.
During his speech, His Highness the Emir also drew attention to the plight of the Rohingyas, the Palestine issue, Syria as well as Libya, Iraq and Yemen. The audience members lauded the observations and statements of His Highness the Emir and expressed solidarity with Qatar by waving the national flag. As he concluded the speech, the entire gathering stood up to express their respect for him and the country.
Earlier, the atmosphere across the entire Education City was filled with patriotic fervour as people waited enthusiastically for the speech to begin. Children got their faces painted in the colours of the Qatari flag, while some of the event attendees wore T-shirts  with patriotic themes. The traditional sword dance was also performed in front of the audience several times while patriotic songs were played all thorough.
Abdulla al-Mana, a Qatari student from one of the universities in  Education City, said: “We are all here to show our support for our beloved country. His Highness the Emir has once again shown the world Qatar’s willingness for unconditional negotiations. We hope that the call for negotiations will be taken seriously by the siege countries. The speech also highlights the principled stand of our wise leadership.”