Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia HRH Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud in Riyadh, yesterday.
Riyadh: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani yesterday reiterated the State of Qatar’s commitment to contribute to every international and regional effort to find an immediate peaceful solution to Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
The State of Qatar participated in the meeting of the 152nd session of the Ministerial Council of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held in Riyadh yesterday. The delegation of Qatar to the meeting was headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
A meeting was held between the Ministerial Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation H E Sergey Lavrov at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council in Riyadh on the sidelines of the meeting.
Another meeting was also held between the Ministerial Council and Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine H E Andrey Yermak, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine H E Dmytro Kuleba, via video conference.
The Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that the State of Qatar firmly believes in diplomatic solutions to international crises and the preservation of the international system based on respect for the Charter of the United Nations and the well-established principles of international law, including obligations under the Charter to settle international disputes by peaceful means, refrain from the threat or use of force, and adhere to the sovereignty and independence of states and its territorial integrity, and rejects and condemns everything that contravene these principles.
H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also stressed that the highest priority at the present time should be dedicated to ensure the safety of civilians, avoid escalation and give voice to wisdom, and to resume negotiations for the sake of resolving the crisis immediately, especially that its repercussions spill over to all parts of the world.
During the Ministerial Council meeting, the developments of the joint Gulf action, efforts of the working committees within the framework of the GCC to implement the decisions of the Supreme Council of the Cooperation Council at its 42nd session, in addition to the latest regional and international developments were reviewed.
The Ministerial Council affirmed in a statement that the GCC position on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis is based on the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and preservation of the international order based on respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and non-use of force or making threat to use force.
It also affirmed its support for mediation efforts to resolve the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, a ceasefire, a political solution to the crisis, giving priority to the language of dialogue, and settling the conflict through negotiations.
The Council hailed the humanitarian and relief assistance provided by the GCC countries to Ukraine, and expressed its support for all efforts to facilitate the export of grain, all food and humanitarian supplies from Ukraine to contribute to affording food security for the affected countries.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also met in Riyadh with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia HRH Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud. The meeting dealt with bilateral cooperation and the means to enhance them, in addition to discussing the latest regional and international developments.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, on the sidelines of the joint ministerial meeting between the GCC and the Russian Federation.
During the meeting, they reviewed relations of bilateral cooperation and ways to support and develop them, as well as the latest regional and international developments, especially the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and its repercussions on global food security and the energy market.
During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar’s readiness to contribute to every international and regional effort to find an immediate peaceful solution to this crisis.
He also affirmed Qatar’s position and commitment to the United Nations Charter and the well-established principles of international law, including obligations under the Charter to settle international disputes through peaceful means, refraining from threatening or use of force, adherence to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states, rejection and condemnation of everything that contradicts that.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed the need to ensure the safety of civilians and consider this a top priority.
