Doha - Media & Communication Dept. - 20 February 2024
Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari affirmed the State of Qatar’s continuous efforts to end the war in the Gaza Strip and release the hostages, stressing that the humanitarian side tops the priority in the ongoing negotiations on a new deal.
At the weekly press briefing, Dr. Al Ansari said that the State of Qatar continues its efforts with all the parties despite the recent Israeli statements. He indicated that those statements come in the context of personal and political gain to address internal crises that have nothing to do with the release of hostages or ending the tragedy that the Gaza Strip is witnessing.
He added that Qatar observes with great concern the reality of the Palestinian brethren in the northern Gaza Strip, especially in light of the lack of water, food, electricity, and medicine. He noted Qatar’s ongoing demands for the necessity of bringing humanitarian aid to all areas of the Gaza Strip in light of the unprecedented deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
The Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that the situation in Rafah is very worrying, especially with the presence of around 1.5 million people there, stressing the State of Qatar's rejection of any military attack on Rafah, as it will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, especially in light of the lack of a safe place in the Strip.
Dr. Al Ansari noted the participation of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani in the Munich Security Conference from Feb. 16-18. He pointed out that His Excellency met with HM King Abdullah II bin Al Husain of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait Abdullah Al Yahya, HE Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina Wazed, HE Executive Director of the World Food Programme Cindy McCain, HE President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Nechervan Barzani, and HE Special Representative of the European Union (EU) for the Gulf Luigi Di Maio on the sidelines of the conference.
Also on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs met with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the sisterly Sultanate of Oman Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Melanie Joly, HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria Mariya Gabriel, E Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg, HE Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia Kaja Kallas, HE Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, HE Leader of the United Kingdom Labor Party Keir Starmer, and HE President of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz.
The Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted the participation of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in a discussion session at the Munich Security Conference, where His Excellency affirmed that the past three weeks have witnessed progress in the negotiations between the two parties (Israel and Hamas), yet the last few days have not been progressing as expected, due to the differences between the two parties.
He indicated that His Excellency underscored that the crucial aspects under discussion are the difficult humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, the issue of the number of Palestinian detainees, and other issues. His Excellency also pointed out that double standards in global conflicts have always harmed such conflicts, comparing the international response to the war in Ukraine and the situation in Gaza.
At the weekly press briefing, Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari noted the meeting of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani on Monday in Doha with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi and HE Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres. During the meetings, His Excellency stressed the necessity to work toward solving the crisis and the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
In a separate context, Al Ansari, the official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted Qatar's success in mediating the reunion of a new group of Ukrainian children with their families, as part of its ongoing efforts to reunite families separated due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
During the weekly media briefing, Al Ansari said that HE Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater, clarified in this context that the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Moscow hosted 11 children and their families during the reunion, accompanying them to their final destinations to ensure their safety and well-being. She mentioned that the group included children with disabilities, for whom special medical care was provided in coordination with both the Ukrainian and Russian sides.
Al Ansari further emphasized that HE the Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar's appreciation to both Ukraine and the Russian Federation for their cooperation and commitment to ensuring the safety and security of these children and providing them with appropriate care. She added that Ukraine and Russia's cooperation with Qatar's mediation efforts since their inception has been crucial to the success of family reunification operations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson affirmed the continuation of these efforts in the coming period, as long as there is acceptance from both the Russian and Ukrainian sides for this mediation.
In another context, Dr. Al Ansari pointed out the launch of a joint financing initiative for international development cooperation and humanitarian response globally by Qatar and the United Kingdom on Sunday. HE Al Khater chaired the meeting held in the framework of launching this initiative, along with HE Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Andrew Mitchell, Minister of State for Development at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Her Excellency announced during the meeting that Qatar and the United Kingdom have jointly allocated $50 million to address urgent humanitarian and development challenges, reflecting their shared responsibility for responding to crises on a global scale. She considered the launch of this initiative as a testament to the enduring partnership between the two countries.
Dr. Al Ansari also highlighted the participation of HE Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a high-level public event entitled "Enhancing Primary Healthcare Access in the Global South: Challenges and Solutions," on the occasion of launching the Doha Global South Health Policy Initiative. In her speech, Her Excellency emphasized Qatar's prominent and continuous role over the years in convening discussions on development priorities in the Global South, noting that Qatar hosted the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries last year.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson said during the weekly media briefing that Her Excellency considered the Doha Global South Health Policy Initiative to be well-aligned with the development agenda in Southern countries, supporting their development priorities, and fostering a long-term relationship between Qatar and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
He also mentioned that Her Excellency had meetings on the sidelines of these events with various officials, including HE Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, HE Deputy Special Representative of Japan for Afghanistan, Assistant Deputy Minister, and Deputy Director General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Misako Takahashi, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Indonesia Retno Marsudi Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, HE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Human Rights of the State of Kuwait Ambassador Sheikha Jawaher Ibrahim Al Duaij Al-Sabah, HE State Secretary of the Kingdom of Norway Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, and President of the Global Development Division at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Dr. Christopher Elias.
On the other hand, Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari highlighted the meeting of HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi Monday with HE Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Zhang Ming, HE State Secretary of the Kingdom of Norway Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik and HE Assistant to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for External Affairs Erzhan Kazykhan.
During the weekly media briefing, Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that the State of Qatar hosted the 2nd meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan Sunday under the patronage of the United Nations with the participation of HE Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres.
In the State of Qatar's speech during the inaugural session of the meeting, HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi reiterated the State of Qatar's ironclad commitment to supporting the Afghan people, along with its credible desire to advance the partnership in Afghanistan, expressing the State of Qatar's pride in the partnership with the United Nations to support the Afghan people, Dr. Al Ansari said.
Dr. Al Ansari pointed out that HE the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the State of Qatar welcomes the recommendations of the United Nations report, which are thought to be constructive and comprehensive recommendations that can offer a consistent approach for Afghanistan, noting the cooperation of Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD) and Education Above All Foundation forged with Afghanistan's Ministry of Education to support 30,000 out-of-primary school young men and girls, along with the signed agreement between QFFD and World Health Organization (WHO) to support the provision of basic health services in 11 provinces in Afghanistan.
The 2nd meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan was attended by envoys from 24 countries, alongside 3 international organizations, Dr. Al Ansari highlighted, adding that the meeting represented the cornerstone of coordinating the global efforts in this context.
He added that on the margins of the meeting, HE the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with HE Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, HE UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva and HE UN Under-Secretary-General, UN Special Coordinator for the Independent Assessment of Afghanistan Feridun Sinirlioglu.
In a separate context, Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a continuation of the air bridge launched by the State of Qatar to help the Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip, an aircraft of the Qatari Armed Forces carrying 20 tons of assistance arrived in El-Arish city of the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt. The aid included food items provided by QFFD and Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), bringing the total number of aircraft that were sent through this air bridge to 79, while the total amount of aid reached 2,354 tons.
He added that the six batch of the injured Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been evacuated in preparation for treating them in Doha within the initiative of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to treat 1,500 Palestinians from the strip, emphasizing that HE Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah bin Rashid Al Khater received the injured Palestinians, with the number of the wounded who have been evacuated to Doha, heretofore, reaching 988 people.
During the weekly media briefing, Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari pointed out that an aircraft of the Qatari Armed Forces carrying 49 tons of aid, including basic food items and health essentials arrived Monday in Kilimanjaro, the United Republic of Tanzania, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The assistance was provided by Qatar Charity and came within the framework of the State of Qatar's support for those affected by floods and landslides in northern Tanzania.