Doha – Information Office – 17 December

Qatar's embassies and diplomatic missions marked the National Day, which is celebrated on December 18 of every year, in commemoration of the state's founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani, under the theme "as long as it was proven by our deeds...Qatar Will Remain Free."

Their Excellencies, Heads of Diplomatic, Consular and Representative Missions of the State of Qatar abroad, extended greetings and congratulations to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and the Qatari people on this precious occasion, wishing the State of Qatar further progress and prosperity.

The Qatari diplomatic celebrations in the capitals and cities of the world have been attended by a high level official and public representation that reflecting Qatar's distinguished relations with the countries of the world.

In Germany, HE Qatar's Ambassador to Germany Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani hosted a reception on the occasion of Qatar National Day in Berlin.

The function was attended by more than 400 senior representatives of official political, parliamentary, diplomatic and economic institutions as well as a number of heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Germany and Qatari nationals in Germany.

In his speech during the ceremony, HE Qatar's Ambassador underlined the high meanings that accompany the commemoration of the founding of the State of Qatar by the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani. The celebration of the National Day is a celebration of the achievements made through the process of construction and development to date, under the wise leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, he added. The ambassador added that despite the long road Qatar has come in terms of economic development, he stressed that the wise leadership's ambition knows no limit. His Excellency said that the biggest example of that was the contributions of the State of Qatar in the Arab world, regionally, and internationally.

HE the ambassador also reviewed the achievements of the State of Qatar that were based on Qatar National Vision 2030. He praised the strong and strategic relations between Qatar and Germany and stressed that they were based on cooperation and understanding, evident by the business forum held in Berlin for the second time in five years. His Excellency highlighted the exchange of visits by state officials, most prominent of which was the visit of HH the Amir to Germany in February to participate in the Munich Security Conference. HH the Amir visited Germany again in September to open the business forum, during which His Highness announced an investment of 10 billion Euros over the coming five years. That brought the total number of Qatari investment in Germany to 35 billion Euros, the highest by an Arab country in the European giant.

The country's embassy in the United States hosted a reception on the occasion of Qatar National Day at the Library of Congress.

More than a thousand people attended the function. HE the Ambassador Sheikh Mesha'al bin Hamad Al-Thani welcomed a number of ranking officials at the U.S. administration and at the U.S. Congress led by the candidate for majority leader Nancy Pelosi, Scott Taylor, Ruben Gallego, Sheila Jackson Lee, and a number of former congressmen such as Nick Rahall, and Jim Moran, in addition to diplomats and Qatari citizens and student in the U.S.

HE the ambassador said that the national day celebrations is an occasion were Qataris can express their pride at their culture and traditions. His Excellency expressed gratitude to representatives Nancy Pelosi, Scott Taylor, and Ruben Gallego who focused on the importance of the strategic partnership between the two countries as they share goals of establishing peace, stability, and prosperity for the two peoples.

The ambassador explained that the two countries have come a long way since they established diplomatic relations 46 years ago. Over the past two decades, relations between the State of Qatar and the United States of America have been strengthened at all levels. The ambassador stressed that Qatar and the United States enjoy a strong partnership in various fields of cooperation, especially in the cultural, political, defense, counter-terrorism, trade and investment fields. The ambassador also announced that the two sides will hold their annual strategic dialogue next month, as they look to give ties in all fields a push. His Excellency stressed that ties go beyond the military fields and extend to economy and trade, with the State of Qatar becoming one of the main economic partners of the United States in the Middle-East.

In the context of economic partnership, HE the ambassador highlighted the announcement made by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and pledged to invest $ 45 billion in the U.S. economy by 2020 in key sectors such as infrastructure, technology and real estate. His Excellency also discussed QP's announcement of investing $20 billion in American oil and gas fields over the next five years.

For her part, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi praised in her speech during the ceremony the role played by HE the ambassador in improving ties between the State of Qatar and the U.S.

She said she was pleased to participate in the celebration of Qatar National Day, and praised the existing partnership relations between the two countries. She also praised the role played by U.S. diplomats and troops in bringing stability to the region.

Taylor for his part said that today's ceremony was not just to celebrate the Qatar National day, but to also celebrate the partnership between the U.S. and Qatar. He thanked HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for starting the tradition of celebrating the national day, saying it helps create a sense of national identity and pride of Qatar's tradition. Taylor also praised the efforts which aim to increase the partnership between the two sides in security, culture, and economy.

He noted that Her Highness Sheikha Moza succeeded on the cultural level in establishing important institutions such as Qatar Foundation, which hosts six American universities. As for security cooperation, he said that billions of dollars were spent to counter-terrorism. He also highlighted the State of Qatar's announcement of plans to expand the military base, thanking Qatar for hosting 13000 U.S. and coalition troops in the biggest airbase in the region.

Gallego meanwhile thanked the State of Qatar for inviting him to participate in the national day celebrations, and stressed that it was important for the United States to have a strong and independent partner like the State of Qatar. He also stressed on the importance of enhancing ties, to ensure they develop further in the future whether in terms of Al Udeid airbase or economically. Gallego stressed that the partnership with Qatar is a core issue for American foreign policy, adding that the State of Qatar will be able to host more American troops in the future.

The ceremony also included showing video clips of Qatar's aim to realize Qatar National Vision 2030.