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His Excellency Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi met on Wednesday with Non-Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the State of Qatar Natalia Al Mansour, on the occasion of the end of her tenure.HE the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended thanks to the Ambassador for her efforts in supporting and strengthening bilateral relations, wishing her success in her future duties. 

All-conquering Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar on Friday urged his rivals not to give up and to fight for the overall victory.The 27-year-old Slovenian seems to be sauntering to a record-equalling fifth Tour title with a lead of more than three and half minutes already over his nearest rival, two-time former winner Jonas Vingegaard, after 13 stages.With back-to-back mountain stages to come this weekend, many expect Pogacar to turn the knife even more before a brutal final week.Some rivals have even suggested that they are already fighting for second place, but Pogacar said that would be a mistake."I don't know how to respond to that. If you go only for second place, it's a bit (of a) pity," the world champion said."I think in the Tour, especially when you have a strong team around you, there are so many possibilities."You always need to aim for the best and hope for the victory." VISMA-LEASE A BIKE STILL BELIEVE IN CHANCESOn Thursday, Vingegaard's team manager Marc Reef insisted that Visma-Lease a Bike still believed in their chances, although he admitted that it would be tough to reel in Pogacar."We knew that in the first stages and the first week we could lose some time," he told AFP."Of course, it's more than we hoped for, but we also have trust in Jonas, that he really grows into the race."But he added: "Of course, (if) it continues like this and Pogacar stays strong like this, it's also difficult. We have to be realistic."Even though none of his rivals have even attempted to attack him yet, Pogacar is expecting them to do something during Saturday's 155km 14th stage from Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering in the Vosges mountains.Almost from the off, the peloton will tackle the first of four tough, long climbs.The final Col du Haag has several sections with gradients of over nine percent."It's a tough day, (ideal) for a lot of attacks. It's a playground for that tomorrow," he said."I hope that we can set a good pace, that it's good for us and not easy for the others. We will see."Tomorrow will be a tough day and we have to be prepared for any attacks from the contenders."'WE'LL TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE' However, with the way that his UAE Emirates-XRG team has been riding, and controlling, the stages where differences could be made, one of Pogacar's main rivals said that his team will be waiting to see what the champion does."We all expect UAE to control the stage to try to win it, and we'll try to take advantage of that," said Lidl-Trek's Juan Ayuso, who is fifth, just 46 seconds off Vingegaard.Ayuso dropped a place after Tom Pidcock finished third on Friday's 205km stage from Dole to Belfort, some seven and a half minutes ahead of the peloton.That allowed the Briton to jump from 10th to fourth, although he had a long day in the breakaway.Ayuso is confident that he will be able to take back that position from the Olympic mountain bike champion."He's another tough rival. He already showed that last year at the Vuelta that he's capable of doing well over three weeks," The 23-year-old Spaniard said of Pidcock, who was third at the Vuelta a Espana last year."I hope that tomorrow he pays a little bit for the hard work he had to do today to gain that time and will lose time again."  

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar is looking forward to continuing his "spectacular" rivalry with Jonas Vingegaard when they meet again as the ‌main contenders in the Tour de France which ​begins on Saturday in ‌Barcelona."The competition between me and Jonas for the last ‌few years ⁠was spectacular," ‌Pogacar told a press conference ‌on Thursday."I think it will continue for a few more years, ⁠I hope. We push each other to new heights every year. So we will see how far we go this year."The two men are the finest Grand Tour riders of their generation and without a doubt among the best in the sport's history.Pogacar is chasing a record-equalling fifth ​Tour title, while Dane Vingegaard is bidding for a third victory following his triumphs in 2022 and 2023.UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Pogacar, however, ‌does not consider Vingegaard his ⁠only opponent."I ​do not think that he is the only one ​who can come close. I think there are quite a few guys here who can aim for the victory," he said.France's Paul Seixas, Belgium's Remco Evenepoel and Germany's Florian Lipowitz are three podium contenders for the three-week race.Pogacar, who has won the last two editions, is inevitably the race favourite after his dominant start to the season. MODIFIED BUILD-UP TOWARDS TOURThe world champion has modified his build-up towards the Tour, ‌with only 16 days of ‌racing. His wins this ⁠season include a maiden Milan-San Remo title, a third Tour ⁠of Flanders, a fourth ⁠Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Strade Bianche and, more recently, the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse."Pretty good," Pogacar replied when asked about his current form. "Only 16 days of racing but the training kilometres are also counting. There has been a lot, so I ​think we are ready."The four-time Tour de France winner will be supported by a formidable team including Mexico's Isaac del Toro, winner of the recent Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, and Britain's Adam Yates, a third-place finisher in 2023."I think we have had a great team all these years. This year, I think it is about the same as last year," Pogacar said."It will not ‌be an ​easy race but we have a lot of tactics." 

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received a telephone call Tuesday from Slovenia President Nataša Pirc Musar.The president extended sincere congratulations to HH the Amir on the occasion of the blessed Eid al-Fitr, wishing His Highness enduring health and well-being, and the people of Qatar further progress and prosperity.She also extended her condolences and sympathy to HH the Amir and the people of Qatar over the martyrs of the Qatar Armed Forces’ helicopter crash in the nation’s territorial waters.The president enquired about the situation in Qatar and expressed her satisfaction with the measures taken by the country to ensure its security and stability, as well as the safety of its citizens and residentsHe underscored that Slovenia stands in full solidarity with Qatar and strongly condemns Iranian aggression, particularly the attack that targeted infrastructure, especially the energy sector.In addition, the president praised the active role Qatar has been playing in mediation and resolving disputes through peaceful means, whether on the regional or global stages.HH the Amir expressed his thanks to the president for her heartfelt condolences and sympathy as well as her solidarity and support for Qatar, commending her country’s position. Both sides reemphasised the importance of de-escalation and prioritising diplomatic solutions and dialogue.HH the Amir also received a phone call from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who renewed his country's solidarity with Qatar and inquired about the situation.He commended Qatar's role and diplomatic efforts as a trusted partner in supporting regional stability and enhancing energy security.HH the Amir praised the friendly relations between Qatar and Greece, as well as the latter's supportive positions in this regard.The call also addressed the latest developments in the region, particularly the recent escalation in Lebanon, where both sides exchanged views on ways to de-escalate tensions and create conducive conditions for achieving security and stability in Lebanon. 

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and President of the Republic of Slovenia Natasa Pirc Musar held an official talks session at the Amiri Diwan Monday.At the beginning of the meeting, His Highness the Amir welcomed the president and the accompanying delegation, wishing them a pleasant stay in Qatar. His Highness noted that co-operation between Qatar and Slovenia encompasses numerous fields, expressing his hope that her first visit to Qatar would contribute to expanding co-operation to broader horizons, fulfilling the aspirations of both friendly nations.**media[380236]**For her part, the president of Slovenia expressed deep gratitude to His Highness the Amir for the warm welcome and generous hospitality. She affirmed her pleasure at visiting Qatar and her country's keenness to further strengthen bilateral co-operation across various sectors. She pointed out that holding the Slovenia-Qatar Business Forum on the sidelines of the visit reflects the development of bilateral co-operation, and expressed her hope that its scope would broaden in all areas.Discussions during the session focused on bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields of co-operation, particularly trade, investment, information technology, and tourism. The two sides also touched on key regional and international issues and developments of mutual interest.**media[380238]**The session was attended by His Excellency Chief of the Amiri Diwan Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Mubarak al-Khulaifi; His Excellency Minister of Social Development and Family Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr al-Nuaimi; His Excellency Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal al-Thani; His Excellency Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi and a lineup of senior officials.**media[380237]**On the Slovenian side, the talks were attended by State Secretary for Multilateral Affairs, Political and Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Dr Melita Gabric; State Secretary for International Affairs, Entrepreneurship, Development Resources and Tourism at the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport Matevz Frangez and a number of senior officials from the official delegation accompanying the president.His Highness the Amir and the president of Slovenia held a bilateral meeting during which they exchanged views on a host of topics of mutual interest. His Highness the Amir also hosted a luncheon in honour of the president and her accompanying delegation.The president of Slovenia had arrived at the Amiri Diwan earlier, where she was accorded an official reception ceremony.