The European tour of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani represents a new stage in the development of Qatar’s relations with countries of the world.
The Amir’s tour aims at strengthening Qatar’s relations with friendly European countries, developing them in various fields, promoting them to new horizons, and consolidating the State of Qatar’s position as a reliable strategic partner to the countries of the world, whether in the political, economic or investment fields.
The first leg of H H the Amir’s European tour was in the Republic of Slovenia where HH the Amir held comprehensive talks with Slovenian President hH E Borut Pahor, and Prime Minister H E Janez Jansa, on the bilateral relations and ways of bolstering them and promoting the joint cooperation in various fields of politics, investment, economy, culture and tourism; in addition to exchanging views on regional and international issues of common concern.
The Amir underlined that his talks with President Borut Pahor were constructive, and will contribute to developing the relations between the two countries at various levels, mainly in politics, economy, trade, energy, infrastructure and tourism.
In joint press statements with Slovenian President in the capital Ljubljana, H H the Amir said that he discussed with the President the latest developments in regional and international arenas, especially the latest developments in Europe and the Middle East.
For his part, the Slovenian President welcomed H H the Amir, expressing his happiness at receiving the Amir and the accompanying delegation, and looking forward to the positive results of the Amir’s visit. The President looked forward to developing and strengthening the bilateral relations at various levels, and praised the development of joint friendship and cooperation relations in various aspects. He reviewed the Slovenian-Qatari partnership in various fields, and aspired for its development to broader horizons, especially with the promising investment opportunities and the field of energy.
The Amir and President of Slovenia also inaugurated the Islamic Center in the Ljubljana; and unveiled the Friendship Chair, which includes a metal plate bearing the name of the Amir and the name of Slovenian President, in the Centers garden.
The Islamic Center in Ljubljana, whose Qatar’s donation is instrumental in building it, includes a mosque, a cultural building, a library and educational departments. It aims to contribute to the consolidation of the tolerant values of Islam among the Muslims of Slovenia, in addition to playing a role in spreading tolerance and moderation among all its visitors.
The opening of the mosque came after nearly a century of Muslims presence in the country, and 50 years after submitting a request to the local authorities for permission to build a house of worship and a cultural center that represents a symbol of their identity and a bridge to communicate with the younger generations and a step to enhance their integration in the country that was one of the former Yugoslav republics.
The Amir’s visit to Slovenia, which coincided with the two countries’ celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, constituted an important opportunity to strengthen the bilateral relations and joint cooperation in various fields.
The second station in H H the Mir’s European tour was his state visit to the Kingdom of Spain, on his first visit to Madrid. The Spanish interest in the visit reflected the great appreciation of the State of Qatar, the leadership, government and people, and the position that the State of Qatar has reached, and the respect that the world has for it, due to its diplomatic successes and initiatives to promote peace, security and stability in the world, and its role in establishing dialogue and negotiation as a way to resolve global conflicts.
The Amir and H M King Felipe VI of Spain held a meeting at Palace of Zarzuela in the capital Madrid, during which they reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance and develop them, especially in the political, economic, commercial and cultural fields.
H H the Amir was presented with the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic from H M King Felipe VI, which is the highest decoration granted to heads of state and high-ranking personalities, as an expression of the strength of relations between the two countries. On his part, H H the Amir presented H M King Felipe VI with the Sword of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, in an embodiment of the bonds of friendship between the two friendly countries and peoples.
Prior of the dinner banquet, H H the Amir gave a speech which he began by expressing his deep thanks and appreciation to H M King Felipe VI for the welcome and generous hospitality accorded to H H and the accompanying delegation, and for what was included in His Majesty’s speech of feelings of amity and deep friendship that binds the two countries. HH the Amir underlined his keenness to continue enhancing and strengthening the ties that bring the two countries together for the good and interest of the two friendly peoples.
On the relations between the two countries, H H the Amir said that Qatar and Spain will celebrate this year the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, noting that since their establishment, these relations have been characterized by continuous development and growing, and increasing cooperation in all fields, especially education, health, investment, energy and economy. With regard to the Qatari investments in Spain, the Amir affirmed Qatar’s confidence in the strength of the Spanish economy, noting that he had directed to increase these investments to $5 billion in the coming years.
H H the Amir and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain H E Dr. Pedro Sanchez, also held an official session of talks at the headquarters of the Government at Moncloa Palace. The Spanish Prime Minister lauded H H the Amirs historic visit to Spain, and its important results at all levels, and aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, considering that the Kingdom of Spain considers the Amir a true and important friend, and the State of Qatar as a reliable partner.
HH the Amir and the Prime Minister of Spain witnessed also the signing of an agreement and a number of memoranda of understanding (MoU) between the governments of the two countries at the headquarters of the government at the Palace of Moncloa.
H H the Amir and the Prime Minister witnessed the signing of an agreement for cooperation in the education field, and MoUs for cooperation in the legal field between the Qatari and Spanish ministries of justice and in the fields of health and medical sciences, and a declaration of intent to enhance the development of cooperation in the economy and finance fields between the Ministry of Finance in Qatar and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation in Spain.
During the state visit of H H the Amir to Spain, His Highness received the Order of the Senate and the Order of the House of Representatives, as an expression of the ties of friendship and partnership between the two countries. His Highness also received the Golden Key of the capital, Madrid, from the Mayor Martinez-Almeida.
In Berlin, the working visit of H H the Amir to the Federal Republic of Germany, on the third stop of his European tour, reflected the great role that the State of Qatar plays in the world, which was stated in the statements of senior officials where they praised the great role that Qatar plays in resolving many important global issues.
Among the quick and fruitful results of H H the Amir’s visit to Germany, is the emphasis on the strategic relationship between Doha and Berlin in the fields of politics, economy, investment, energy, and other vital areas of cooperation between the two countries.
At the regional and international levels, the visit confirmed the consensus of Qatari-German visions regarding the importance of mediation and dialogue to resolve conflicts peacefully in order to reach comprehensive and sustainable solutions, in light of German support for peace talks sponsored by the State of Qatar in several places, such as Afghanistan and Chad.
The visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, and the results of His Highness’ talks with the President of the Federal Republic of Germany H E Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, H E German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Speaker of the German Parliament H E Barbel Bas, affirmed the keen interest in developing the distinguished strategic relations between the State of Qatar and Germany and the common desire to push bilateral cooperation and partnership between the two countries to new heights.
The visit witnessed the signing of a joint declaration of intent to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy, as this agreement lays a strong foundation for partnership by building commercial relations in the field of liquefied natural gas that serve the interests of the two countries and achieve their ambitions in climate action, a partnership that promotes diversity in the supply of natural gas. at the same time to facilitate bilateral cooperation in hydrogen energy, and renewable energy sources.
Qatar is one of the largest investors in Germany with investments exceeding 25 billion euros but it goes beyond that to continuous consultation and joint action to support regional and international peace and stability, and German support for Qatar’s efforts and mediation to resolve conflicts and peace talks it sponsors, such as Afghanistan, Chad and others.
The fourth visit within the framework of H H the Amir’s European tour was Switzerland, where His Highness participated in the opening session of the World Economic Forum held in Davos under the slogan “History at a Turning Point”.
H H the Amir delivered a speech to the participants in the forum, which was a detailed presentation of the vision of the State of Qatar locally, regionally and internationally. He also spoke about the conditions the world is going through, the real challenges facing its people, and the issues of the Middle East region in particular. His speech before the forum participants contributed to introducing world leaders to the issues of the just region, in a way that preserves rights and protects against double standards, aggression, and inequity.
The Amir expressed a set of challenges, as he stressed that the current session of the World Economic Forum is of exceptional importance because it is being held in the midst of economic challenges and geopolitical turmoil. the Amir said: “Before we can hope for economic prosperity, we must first examine, repair, and enforce our framework for peace. And we need to send, a re-assuring message to people around the world: Only through unity we can overcome the conflict that divides us. I can tell you that after years of peace-facilitation, through mediation, that we can never give up hope. We should never give up, trying to bring parties together. As long as we believe, our efforts, could save, even a single life, our attempts to mediate will be worth it. Our united efforts need to be based, on the principles already agreed-on: in the Charter of the United Nations, international law, and respecting each others sovereignty.”
