Doha – Information Office – 06 April

The Department of Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a roundtable entitled "Qatar, the Middle East and the Horn of Africa: Opportunities and Challenges", in partnership with the International Crisis Group in collaboration with the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University.

In his speech at the opening of the roundtable, HE Director of Department of Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Khalid bin Fahad Al Khater addressed issues of alliances and competition, Qatar and regional security, stability policies in the region, the U.S. foreign policy, political and economic interactions and their impact on regional issues, the impact of the "the blockade of Qatar" crisis in the creation of other crises.

HE Al Khater noted the repercussions of the blockade on Qatar and its impact on the overall low level of the world peace index.

He stressed that the State of Qatar sees the importance of strengthening international diplomatic activities, international institutions, legal principles, human rights principles, and governance in order to confront the policies of despotism that gain prominence recently in the region.

HE Dr. Khalid Al Khater stressed the importance of creating a regional security framework that balances societies and governments, interests and principles, and regional and international frameworks.

The roundtable is part of the partnership agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Crisis Group, signed in March 2018, where a number of International Crisis Group experts met with professors from Qatar University and the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies to discuss current issues related to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.