Russian ambassador in Doha Dmitry Dugadkin has said that Qatar's celebration of its National Day this year, in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, is gaining new symbolism, as it constitutes an opportunity for the World Cup guests to participate in Qatar's celebrations and learn about its culture and history. In a special statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the ambassador said that celebrating the National Day is a great opportunity that gave all the guests of Qatar, who came to watch the World Cup, a chance to live the experience of its celebration and be part of the exciting events planned on this special date.
He hailed the dynamic development witnessed by Qatar in recent years, which made it a modern country, noting that the changes and reforms witnessed by Qatar in various fields were proceeding in parallel with the efforts to preserve its values, traditions, identity and culture. The ambassador touched on the suspicious campaigns and false allegations that targeted Qatar's hosting of the World Cup, saying that the criticism leveled at the organisation of the World Cup events is unfounded, expressing his wishes that Qatar will move forward on the path of success to achieve the goals set by the wise leadership for the benefit of its people.
On the Qatari-Russian relations, the ambassador said that in recent years, despite of the changing political and economic situation in the world, relations between our countries have been steadily developing and strengthening in various fields. The ambassador pointed out to the increase in trade exchanges between the two countries, especially in the agricultural sector and the increase in tourism flow from both sides, as well as the continuous co-operation in the fields of culture and sports, including sharing his country's experience with Qatar during the preparations to host the World Cup 2022.
He noted that Qatar is the largest investor in the Russian economy among the countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), indicating that a working mechanism has been reached between the two countries within the framework of the joint financial and economic platform.