Qatar reaffirms its effective role in fighting terrorism

Qatar has reaffirmed its effective role in fighting terrorism and noted that eliminating the phenomenon is a global necessity.This came during Qatar’s participation in the seventh session of the Dialogue conference between Arab and Chinese civilisations in Chengdu, China. Chairman of the Doha International Centre for Interfaith Dialogue Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh al-Nuaimi and Assistant Director of the Diplomatic Institute at the Foreign Ministry Nadia Ahmed al-Shaibi represented Qatar in the two-day conference.In a working paper presented at the round table on the sidelines of the conference, al-Nuaimi stressed Qatar’s continued co-operation and its international efforts to combat extremism and terrorism, stressing the country’s belief that addressing the phenomenon of extremism and terrorism is a global necessity that needs support from all countries to achieve world peace and stability.In his working paper entitled ‘the phenomenon of Islamophobia and its impact on international social peace’, al-Nuaimi stressed that nation-building begins by co-operation between human beings to build a peaceful, civilised society based on mutual respect and co-existence in harmony and homogeneity, irrespective of the difference in religions, cultures and races.He said if the conflicts in our world today are aimed at achieving sovereign projects or economic interests, this does not prevent the existence of a cultural and civilisational link and ideological conflicts that fuel this hostility and the conflict that actually arises from misconceptions, prejudices and erroneous conceptions towards each other.Al-Nuaimi added: “The perverse ideas we face, supported by religious and national hatred, have produced those extremist models that discourage the idea of dialogue and peaceful coexistence and inflame conflict among civilisations”.He pointed out that thanks to these serious and fruitful meetings between the Arab and Chinese civilisations, “we can create a network of active relations and partnerships aimed at combating extremism and terrorism and developing a common vision for collective action that promotes the values of tolerance, countering extremism and spreading a culture of peace in our societies, especially those who suffered from various types of conflicts to enable them to return to the path of development and reconstruction.Meanwhile, Assistant Director of the Diplomatic Institute at the Foreign Ministry Nadia al-Shaibi, praised in her presentation the distinguished relations between Qatar and China.She pointed out the volume of trade between the two countries, which doubled in the past few years, with Qatar supplying 35% of China’s natural gas needs.Al-Shaibi said that Qatar is ready to work with the Chinese side to realise the goals underlying the concept of the Silk Road Economic Belt, adding that “the visit of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Beijing, gave a great boost to the relations, and moved them from the stage of co-operation to the stage of strategic partnership.”She noted that Qatar shares with China the importance of popular diplomacy in supporting the momentum of government’s willingness to co-operate, pointing out that there is no alternative to popular interactions in contrasting the honest values of humanity, which are devoid of the desires of unstable political alliances.Al-Shaibi appreciated the importance attached by China to culture and its role in promoting civilised dialogue between countries, pointing to Qatar’s openness to peoples’ cultures and to adopt soft diplomacy as a major engine toward a more peaceful coexistence and civilised communication.The conference discussed several issues including the Arab-Chinese partnership in the Silk Road Economic Belt, the centrality of the Arab and Chinese cultures, the phenomenon of Islamophobia, social harmony, extremism and ways to address its causes.