Niamey - information office-  November

 The State of Qatar participated in the 47th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that was held in Niamey, the Republic of Niger.

Qatar's delegation was headed by HE Director of the International Organizations Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yousef Sultan Larem.

Speaking at the session, HE the Director of the International Organizations Department said that the State of Qatar continues its active role within the framework of international efforts to confront terrorism and participate in international mechanisms to coordinate efforts to combat terrorism and its financing, especially in partnership with the United Nations.

His Excellency pointed out that at the national level, the State of Qatar has carefully developed the legislative and regulatory framework for combating terrorism and its financing, and has prepared a national strategy to combat terrorism.

He added that it was important to keep pace with emerging threats and conflicts such as the link between terrorism, religious intolerance, escalating xenophobia, hate speech and misleading information, in addition to the issue that the OIC plays an important role in monitoring and addressing it, which is Islamophobia. In this regard, he underlined the importance of serious and collective work to confront escalation against Islam, the Prophet Mohammed, Peace Be Upon Him, and the Muslims.

His Excellency said that this meeting is being held at a time when the world is facing many challenges that require strengthening solidarity and cooperation between the OIC members and all countries of the world, especially as the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has affected everyone, and this pandemic has imposed itself as a top priority.

His Excellency pointed out that this pandemic has changed the features of societies and the activities of states and individuals everywhere, and highlighted the importance of ensuring stability, strengthening security and development and consolidating human rights so that international peace and security are not affected by any urgent threats.

He said that the State of Qatar has assumed its shared responsibility towards this pandemic by cooperating with the United Nations and providing governmental and non-governmental humanitarian aid to many countries around the world. It has also established many field hospitals in the affected countries and has spared no effort in providing urgent medical aid as it supported the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and health care organizations working to develop vaccines and health care resilience with $140 million.

HE the Director of the International Organizations Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that working within an international and pluralistic framework is not only necessary to address emergency crises but rather is essential to address common risks such as combating terrorism and extremism, eradicating poverty, and addressing the misuse of technology for illegal purposes as well as addressing development challenges and climate change.

He continued by highlighting the contribution announced by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani with an amount of $100 million to the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing countries. Realizing the role it has always played and in support of the international efforts, the State of Qatar will host the Fifth Conference on the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states in January 2022, he said.

His Excellency noted that while we are talking about the need for a collective approach and collective frameworks to address the common challenges, the State of Qatar still faces unjust blockade and unilateral coercive measures imposed on it unlawfully and without justification and in violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, international norms and the principles of the friendly relations among the states, especially those brought together under one organization, such as this.

Although more than three years of the insistence on these unilateral policies have passed, the State of Qatar continues to adhere to its principles based on reducing tensions and resolving crises through dialogue, and in accordance with the principles of the peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for international law, he said. Therefore, the State of Qatar has resorted to the international legal frameworks, foremost among which were the International Court of Justice, to confront the measures targeting it in violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, international conventions and charters, and human rights.

His Excellency also pointed out that the Palestinian cause is still the central issue for the State of Qatar, reaffirming Qatar's principled position in support of all sincere efforts aimed at reaching a settlement to the Palestinian cause by achieving a two-state solution in accordance with the terms of reference of the peace process, international legitimacy decisions and the Arab Peace Initiative, in a manner that guarantees the establishment of the independent state of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the settlement of all final status issues.

He added that this settlement requires ensuring that the Palestinian people enjoy their inalienable rights, pulling an end to the Israeli occupation of the occupied Arab lands, including the Syrian Golan, ending the illegal settlement activity and the attempts to annex lands illegally, stopping the measures aimed at changing the character, legal status, and demographic composition of Jerusalem, and stopping all other practices against the Palestinian people that violate international law and human rights.

His Excellency stated that what causes concern is that the Palestinian economic situation is deteriorating, especially in the Gaza Strip, which is under constant blockade that has caused great human suffering.

Within the framework of Qatar's endeavor to play a constructive role to create an appropriate environment to reach the peace and respond to the economic and humanitarian difficulties facing the Palestinian people, he said, it continued to provide humanitarian and development support to address urgent and long-term needs in areas including education, power supply, infrastructure, maintenance and construction of housing and financing job opportunities, in addition to enhancing its contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

HE the Director of the International Organizations Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is regrettable that many crises and threats to international peace and security are affecting OIC member states and affecting their brotherly peoples. In Syria, the crisis has caused countless suffering to the Syrian people and it is a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.

His Excellency stressed that attempts to impose a solution militarily will only lead to more atrocities and humanitarian disasters, noting that what Syria needs is serious work within the framework of a meaningful political process sponsored by the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General to reach a solution leading to a political transition in accordance with the Geneva declaration and the implementation of Resolution 2254 with all its elements, in a manner that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and preserves the unity, sovereignty and independence of Syria.

He said that the Constitutional Committee is - if it succeeds in achieving its intended purpose - a step in the right direction. To support sustainable peace, justice must be achieved and the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity must be held accountable, regardless of who are responsible for them. At the present time, the Syrian people, especially refugees and displaced persons, need continued humanitarian assistance to alleviate their suffering.

His Excellency said that Yemeni people's great human suffering will only end when peace, security and stability return to the country. This requires the implementation of the outcomes of the national dialogue in which all Yemeni parties participated, and the political process to get out of the crisis and preserve the sovereignty of Yemen and its national and regional unity based on the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution 2216.

HE the Director of the International Organizations Department affirmed the State of Qatar's support for the endeavors, initiatives and efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to find a solution through dialogue. Until then, the need to secure basic needs and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to all Yemenis continues, he added.

With regard to the situation in Libya, His Excellency said that it witnessed important developments, including the ceasefire agreement, the restoration of oil production flow, and the launch of the Libyan political dialogue in Tunisia in which a road map for elections next year was agreed upon.

His Excellency noted that the State of Qatar welcomes these positive developments, noting that it encourages the Libyan parties to achieve a comprehensive political settlement that would preserve the unity, sovereignty and independence of Libya and put an end to the ongoing violence.

What the Libyan people need now is respect for their will for a peaceful solution, achieving national consensus, and putting an end to the crisis that caused difficult humanitarian and economic situations, he said, while wishing the new special envoy of the UN Secretary-General success in his mission.

His Excellency pointed out that within the framework of the priority that the State of Qatar attaches to settling disputes by peaceful means, especially mediation, and based on its commitment to play a positive role at the regional level and support peace and security in Islamic countries, the State of Qatar has continued intensive mediation efforts to help establish peace, security and prosperity in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

He added that they were pleased that these efforts culminated in the signing of the agreement to bring peace to Afghanistan between the United States and the Taliban last February, and this agreement was the basis for launching a comprehensive peace process between Afghans in order to end the fighting that the country has been facing for a long time.

His Excellency noted that the Qatari mediation efforts continued, with a truce announced in the blessed Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha as well as the exchange of prisoners. The Afghan peace negotiations were launched in Doha last September, he said, noting that the State of Qatar will continue its commitment to play a positive role in facilitating the peace process.

Concluding, His Excellency expressed the State of Qatar's support for efforts to reform the work of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, including the assumption of high-ranking positions on the basis of equitable geographical rotation, and it is also committed to cooperating with member states in order to achieve the desired common goals for the benefit of the Islamic Ummah and its peoples.