HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani affirmed Qatar’s keenness on the necessity of avoiding a collapse in Afghanistan, saying that Qatar calls for international consensus on what should be done in Afghanistan and urged the Afghan government to show its commitment to engaging all parties without discrimination and ensuring rights, especially the rights of girls and women.
In a joint news conference with Slovenia’s Minister of Foreign Aff airs Dr Anze Logar yesterday in Ljubljana, he called on the world to participate in the humanitarian eff orts towards Afghanistan, pointing out the need for the world to see serious steps in combating terrorism from the Afghan side and dealing with the various Afghans instead of isolating them.
On the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue, the foreign minister affi rmed Qatar’s position, calling for a resumption of dialogue between the parties at the earliest opportunity. He said Qatar welcomes positive steps in this regard, stressing the need for the region to be free of nuclear activities.
He pointed out that the QatariSlovenian talks discussed the peace process in the Middle East, underlining Qatar’s clear position based on the two-state solution, ending the occupation, and establishing the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital. He praised the bilateral relations between Qatar and Slovenia, expressing his happiness to meet the Slovenian president, the prime minister, and the ministers of foreign aff airs and interior.
He said the discussions in Ljubljana were fruitful and dealt with the exchange of views on the most prominent regional and international issues, pointing to the important role of Slovenia as the current president of the European Union. Also, he praised the Slovenian community in Qatar, which despite its small number contributes eff ectively to the process of construction and development.
He expressed Qatar’s aspiration to develop economic, trade, and investment relations between the two countries, pointing to the visit of the Qatari trade delegation to Slovenia early next year to explore and evaluate opportunities, especially in energy, technology, renewable energy and information technology.
The Slovenian minister welcomed HE Sheikh Mohamed’s visit, expressing optimism about the results of the talks that took place and his aspiration to develop bilateral relations.
He said the discussions focused on developing bilateral relations by strengthening economic co-operation, stressing the need to continue holding such meetings and sustaining discussions between the two countries.
He pointed out that he presented Slovenia’s presidential plan to HE Sheikh Mohamed, which would advance common interest and develop bilateral co-operation. Logar added the discussions also touched on the important issues that Qatar participates in and contributes to, including the nuclear agreement negotiations, the Afghan issue, and the peace process in the Middle East. The Slovenian foreign minister stressed the need to adhere to the moral duty to continue supporting the Afghan people, expressing his appreciation for Qatar’s efforts in this regard.
He announced the agreement to hold the second meeting of the joint committee between the two countries to promote trade and investments in energy, tourism, communications, information technology, and the environment, expressing aspiration to discuss more opportunities with the Qatari trade delegation that will visit Slovenia in early 2022.
The Slovenian minister said the comprehensive agreement on air transport with the European Union, signed between Qatar and the EU in Luxembourg, paved the way for a new phase of co-operation in the field of air transport between both parties, pointing to new areas of co-operation between Qatar and the European Union in near future.