Geneva/Information Office/ 09 March 2016/ The State of Qatar has underlined that the positive exercise of the right to freedom of "religion or belief", and the right to freedom "of opinion and expression," can contribute to the promoting them . It stressed its keenness to adopt this constructive approach through efforts of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue. This came in a speech delivered by HE Sheikh Khalid bin Jassim Al -Thani, Director of the Human Rights Department at the Foreign Ministry, at the 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council, currently being held from 29 February to 24 March, under item (3) titled: "interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief." Sheikh Khalid bin Jassim Al-Than said i: "We agree with the report by Heiner Bielefeldt, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, on the close relationship between the right to freedom of religion or belief and the right to freedom of opinion and expression," stressing that the positive practice for both two rights can contribute to strengthening both of them. He noted that the Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18, which aims to combat intolerance and discrimination, incitement to violence, which resulted in the formation Istanbul Initiative is an active framework , adding that Qatar had supported this initiative and hosted the fourth meeting of the initiative of Istanbul, which was held in Doha in March 2014, and actively participated in the fifth meeting of the Istanbul initiative, which was held at the Organization of Islamic cooperation in Jeddah in June 2015, he added.