London: Director of Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) Chris Doyle expressed his appreciation for the great role played by the State of Qatar in raising the awareness among new generations in Britain about the Arab world and its issues, as well as the positive diplomatic efforts on the international scene in many major issues.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Doyle said that Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s visit to Britain will push the relations between the two countries to broader horizons. He also described the Qatari-British relations as very rich and multifaceted on all political, economic and cultural levels, stressing that the two countries’ relations are rooted in history for more than 50 years.
On the visit of H H the Amir to the United Kingdom, Doyle stressed that it comes at a very delicate time, as the world is going through a dangerous turning point in terms of energy security.
The Director of Caabu pointed out that energy security in Britain is now at risk, perhaps not like other European countries; but it is subjected to massive increases in energy prices globally, which causes an increase in food prices and all commodities in Britain, in addition to a crisis in the cost of living.
The Director of Caabu praised the boom in cultural relations between Qatar and Britain, especially in the field of scholarships through which thousands of Qatari students come to study in Britain. He also pointed to sports, as Qatar will host the FIFA Word Cup Qatar 2022.
Doyle valued the strong partnership between Qatar Foundation and the Caabu, saying that Qatar Foundation has greatly supported them in the awareness-raising programme in British schools about the Arab world. He explained that this programme works to present the culture of the Arab world and its peoples to pupils and students of different ages in schools. There is ignorance about the Arab world in Britain, he said, adding that there are many misconceptions, even among adults, let alone the youth.
Doyle cited a survey conducted by the council five years ago, which showed that 82 percent of Britons know very little about the Arab world, stressing that this support has helped a lot in changing the stereotype about Arabs, as portrayed by some international media.
He pointed out that this programme helps the council to break down barriers between the two sides, as children in schools carry out many activities within the framework of this programme.
They include activities to raise awareness on the affairs of refugees coming from the Arab region, especially since the overwhelming discourse about them in widespread newspapers is that refugees are just people who came to Britain to take jobs and use social benefits provided by the government, when the reason behind their exodus is conflicts in their countries.
Doyle explained that Caabu is working to urge politicians and parliamentarians to engage in resolving and preventing conflicts in the Middle East.
Doyle praised Qatar’s role through mediation, bringing all parties of a conflict to negotiation table and contributing to facilitating the implementation of the solutions reached.
Doyle also praised the successful Qatari diplomatic role in the Afghan issue.
He said that all Western capitals appreciate Qatar’s great diplomatic role in the region and in resolving these conflicts; for example, what it has done in evacuating Western nationals and refugees from Afghanistan.
