Moscow - Information Office - 25 March
HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Russian Federation Fahad bin Mohammed Al Attiyah affirmed that the visit of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to Moscow on Sunday opens new horizons for cooperation and strategic partnership between the two countries, noting that it is the first visit by a leader to Moscow after Russian President Vladimir Putin was re-elected.
HE Al Attiyah said in remarks on Sunday that this visit comes also to emphasize the strength of Qatari-Russian relations as well as to exchange views and ideas on various crises and issues in the region, especially the Palestinian Cause and the Syrian issue, in addition to the ongoing war in Yemen and all areas of conflict in the Middle East.
HE the Ambassador said that there are aspirations from both countries to increase investment, trade and economic cooperation. He pointed out that Qatar has all the infrastructure that enables an easy access of Russian products to Doha through Qatar's ports and airports.
HE Al Attiyah also explained that there are great ambitions and horizons to deepen bilateral ties. He added that this visit would be followed by many meetings between businessmen from both countries. In addition, many administrative and legal procedures will be overcome in order to facilitate the movement of intra-trade between the two countries, he added.
With regard to benefiting from the Russian experience in the organization of major international sports events, especially as Russia will organize the FIFA World Cup this summer, HE Al Attiyah said that countries exchange experiences and expertise, adding that Qatar is in contact with officials in Moscow on that area. He further noted that a Qatari team will be present before the start of the up-coming edition of the World Cup in order to gain experiences and transfer them to Qatar. He added that this is a natural cooperation between the countries hosting such events, noting that this will strengthen the relations between Doha and Moscow. He pointed out that Russia has rich experiences in the field of security and many other fields.
Concluding his remarks, HE Al Attiyah said that Qatari-Russian relations have grown steadily over recent years in economic, cultural, military and security fields. He indicated that during 2018, the Qatari-Russian culture year, Moscow will witness Qatari events, and Doha will witness Russian events. He added that during this year, the economic agreements, trade deals and mutual investments between the two countries will be witnessing significant advancement.
HE the Ambassador further stressed that the Qatari-Russian relations are based on mutual respect, trust, and cooperation in areas of mutual interest.