National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) chairman Dr Ali bin Smaikh al-Marri has praised the European Union's continued cooperation with the NHRC, as well as the existing cooperation with the European Parliament, which resulted in the signing of a joint agreement to exchange expertise and consultations. He also commended the positive attitude of the EU and the Parliament towards the siege imposed on Qatar.
He said that Federica Mogherini, high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, had stressed the importance of initiating an informal dialogue in the field of human rights, as a way to promote bilateral cooperation and follow up the ongoing exchange between the EU and the NHRC.
Mogherini met with HE the Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in the Belgian capital Brussels recently, where a statement issued by Mogherini's office confirmed that the two sides discussed the positive relations between the EU and Qatar, and steps to be taken to implement the bilateral cooperation agreement signed on March 7, on the occasion of the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Brussels.
NHRC chief said that the statements of Mogherini reflected the positive position of the EU and the European Parliament on the siege imposed on Qatar.
"We appreciate Mogherini's keenness on human rights issues and her support for establishment of a human rights dialogue with Qatar, which reflects the importance that EU countries and institutions attach to the protection of human rights as one of the most important principles for which the European Union was established," Dr al-Marri said.
He added, "We at the NHRC appreciate the EU's commitment to follow up the continuous exchange with the NHRC, in a way that strengthens the culture of human rights in Qatar, the region, and the world at large. We reaffirm our readiness and full involvement in any endeavor to protect human rights in the Gulf region and the whole world."
Dr Al-Marri also stressed the NHRC readiness to further bilateral cooperation with EU human rights institutions and the European Parliament to exchange expertise and consultations in the field of human rights protection, noting that the long-standing and strong bilateral relations between the commission and the European Parliament.
He cited the consultative agreement for exchange of expertise and consultations signed by the NHRC with the European Parliament last April, as the first of its kind with a national institution for human rights in the Gulf and Arab countries, noting that the agreement is one of the most important mechanisms through which to implement and follow up developments in human rights in Qatar and pave the way for close cooperation between the NHRC and the European Parliament to carry out many joint programmes in the field of human rights. It also allows the European Parliament to learn about the siege’s ramifications and how to deal with these violations.
