A united Qatar has played a significant role in the country’s victory over an almost year-long economic blockade, which was imposed by four Arab countries against Qatar on June 5, 2017, according to HE the Minister of State Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari.
“Every citizen, from the first day of the economic blockade, realised that they have a role to play,” al-Kuwari told Gulf Times on the sidelines of a launching event.
In June last year, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, and Egypt severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar. But in just a few days, the government was able to mobilise various initiatives to secure the needs of the country.
Al-Kuwari added: “The government, every citizen, and everyone living in Qatar worked very hard and they succeeded in proving the unity of Qatar in facing the blockade, and that has made Qatar successful.”
Aside from its role in addressing the challenges of the blockade, al-Kuwari also lauded the private sector’s part in promoting Qatar’s culture and heritage to the international community.
“Qatar has been well known for its cultural activities, and since 2010, Doha has also been known as a cultural capital. Now, it is good to see that this initiative came from the private sector, which means it is no longer the Qatari government but also the private sector that gives culture its merit,” the minister said, referring to the launching of the ‘Cultures in Dialogue’ international exhibition.
The exhibition will be held in collaboration with Qatar Museums Authority, Unesco, and Qatar Shell to showcase a wide variety of historical pieces from the Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum collection over the next two years in select cities in Europe from September 2018.
The exhibition aims to stimulate dialogue between cultures, religions, and countries on the relevance of cultural heritage. It will be an opportunity for people to interact with stories of exchange, tolerance, inspiration, innovation, and understanding that are concealed in the objects highlighted in the exhibition.
“That is why this initiative is very important. The majlis and Arab coffee has been part of the international heritage under Unesco…this initiative is not only exhibiting what we have but also opening dialogue between cultures.
“And especially during these times, we need to show Qatar as a country of dialogue between cultures, countries, and other intellectuals…this is an example of the government working in parallel with the private sector, which is very important and very significant,” al-Kuwari said.