HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has said Qatar was "determined to be a force for good in the world, and to play an active role in promoting peace."
His comments came after a meeting with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Wednesday.
The meeting focused on enhancing co-operation between Qatar and Nato, in addition to discussing a number of issues of joint interest.
Sheikh Mohamed said Qatar prioritises preventive diplomacy and mediation at the regional and international levels to resolve disputes through peaceful means and "to achieve the peace that we all desire."
"Recent geopolitical events have shown that confronting serious threats and crises in our world requires a collective effort and international, regional and bilateral co-operation."
He gave an insight into Qatar's vision on challenges facing the region and the solutions, while highlighting the two main collective challenges to peace and security today.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said the first challenge was the continuing conflicts in the Middle East, for which the solution is dialogue, diplomacy and co-operation.
"Like Nato's vision, Qatar is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. Based on the firm principles of Qatar's foreign policy and its desire to achieve peace and stability in the region and the international community, we continue to stress the importance of resolving disputes by peaceful means."
He added: "Security and stability in the Middle East is a cornerstone of international peace and security. Qatar reaffirms its continued support for all international and regional efforts to ensure the success of the political solutions to the crises in Syria, Libya and Yemen in accordance with the resolutions of international community and has called upon all parties to the conflict in these countries to reach a national consensus to stop the bloodshed and achieve the legitimate aspirations of the people, as well as preserve their unity and territorial integrity."
Sheikh Mohamed said that just as Qatar Nato Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, it is also engaged in diplomatic efforts to facilitate and host mediation between the United States and the Taliban movement.
He said the second challenge is the growing threat of cyber-attacks, adding that the solution is co-operation to build strong and resilient cyber defences.
"The world now contends that the risks posed by cybersecurity offenses pose a threat to international peace and security. Electronic piracy has become a means of creating crises and damaging relations between states to achieve special objectives, without taking into account the legal and political responsibility for such crimes.
There is no doubt that confronting these crimes requires judicial measures and procedures to punish the perpetrators and ensure that the affected parties have their rights under international law."
In this context, he pointed out that the current Gulf crisis and the illegal blockade imposed on Qatar almost two years ago was the result of a cybercrime and digital espionage.
He added the blockading countries have taken unilateral actions against Qatar in a flagrant violation of international law and the rules of inter-state relations, on the pretext of allegations the world found baseless.
Sheikh Mohamed the blockade however has not hindered Qatar's commitment to co-operation under the Istanbul Co-operation Initiative (ICI) framework.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister also spoke on the relations between Qatar and Nato and Qatar's policy and vision of the challenges facing the region and how to confront them.
He said the strategic relationship between Qatar and Nato has reflected positively on peace and security in the Gulf region, the Middle East and the world.
Sheikh Mohamed said Qatar appreciates the role of Nato and the (ICI) in achieving this, particularly on common security issues, and strengthening regional and international efforts to achieve global stability and reconstruction in conflict zones.
He stressed that the relationship between Qatar and Nato is of great importance, and "our meeting today is a testament to our strong desire to strengthen this relationship".
Sheikh Mohamed meanwhile yesterday met with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini, on the sidelines of the Brussels conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region.
