Significance of soft power highlighted in diplomacy course

Katara Public Diplomacy Center (KPDC) has wrapped up its public diplomacy training course, targeting employees of nine government, cultural, media, and sports entities. The event was within the framework of the training plan launched by KPDC and will continue until end of January 2023.
For his part, lecturer of the course and an expert in state protocol and diplomatic etiquette Dr Omar Ghanem said that the course succeeded in laying out the public diplomacy idea from academic, practical and original approach within the framework of the Qatari practice of public diplomacy. He pointed out that the outcomes of the course were distributed to three sections, the first one discussed the public diplomacy and its historic root, methods of providing its means and resources, adding that the training course has succeeded in creating an awareness base for a segment of attendees who are considered part and parcel of state action mechanisms in their various fields to activate the public diplomacy approach.
Public diplomacy is a fundamental safe and security valve for the political approach of any country to achieve its goals at home and abroad, and the course focused on the basic article set forth in the Qatari constitution which explains that Qatar is a country that supports peace and defuses tensions through peaceful means, Ghanem pointed out. In addition, Ghanem indicated that Qatar is a pioneer country at the region's level in pursuing the public diplomacy, adding that the Qatari public diplomacy is characterised by looking forward to the future through employing the relief aid, cultural exchanges, sports and media activities, as well as the events that promote rapproachement and communication among nations.
He said that Qatar has exerted intensive efforts to invest in public diplomacy field, and today it reaps the fruits through drawing a global opinion that objects and resists the propaganda seeking to damage Qatar's image. However, Qatar gained a new dimension after it had acquired the element of self-confidence through the resounding success of hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Qatar has made numerous successes in the field of public diplomacy and has promoted the tourism globally that resulted in having a globally prominent cultural identity through embracing many cultural events, festivals and activities, the most prominent of which were the accomplishments made by the Cultural Village Foundation-Katara, Ghanem pointed out.
He underlined that public diplomacy is not a welfare or wastage of resources, but rather a real investment in finding a soft power that supports hard power in laying the foundation of peace culture and promoting the country's image, status and maintaining its interests in the long term. For his part, CEO of KPDC Darwish Ahmed al-Shaibani hailed the positive outcomes achieved by the training course through the training plan set by the centre in January 2023. He pointed out that through this plan, KPDC seeks to nurture the awareness and knowledge of professional cadres in various ministries and institutions in the field of public diplomacy.