Qatar Participates in 159th Arab League Council Session at Ministerial Level

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi

The State of Qatar participated Wednesday in the 159th Arab League Council Session at the ministerial level, which kicked off today at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League in Cairo. HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi headed Qatar's delegation during the session.

In Qatar's statement during the session, HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs indicated that today's meeting comes amid unprecedented security, political, and economic challenges dictated by regional and international developments, which places grave challenges upon Arab states.

His Excellency pointed out that in terms of achieving security and stability, Israel still represents an obstacle to achieving permanent, just, and comprehensive peace in the region, by continuing its intransigent approach and plans to falsify history and facts on the ground and confuse the scene by expanding settlement construction in the occupied territories and Judaizing Jerusalem, in blatant defiance of the international community's will, legitimacy decisions, and international laws and covenants. By doing that, Israel doubles the Arab states' responsibilities toward the Palestinian people, mandating them to call on the international community and its concerned bodies to force Israel to stop the double standards that encourage the occupation authorities to continue their aggression toward the Palestinian people.

His Excellency warned against this continuous aggression on the worsening and explosive situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and its repercussions on security and stability in the region. His Excellency strongly condemned the Israeli occupation forces' storming of the city of Nablus in the West Bank on Feb. 22, considering it a war crime and an extension of its continuous and systematic crimes against the Palestinian people, and its flagrant violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy.

His Excellency expressed the State of Qatar's rejection of Israel's unilateral decisions, which are also rejected by the international community, reiterating Qatar's solid and firm stance toward the Palestinian cause based on the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-states solution, supporting the unwavering legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and their right in establishing their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi noted the State of Qatar's standing with victims of the devastating earthquake that hit the Republics of Syria and Turkiye and a number of neighboring countries through its provision of around 10,000 accommodation units, the transfer of urgent aid from Jordan and Germany via air transport planes, in addition to the continued support of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) to the Syrian Civil Defense operations, which benefited more than 1.65 million of affected people.

Regarding the political crisis in Syria, HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said that the international community is still helpless to find a solution for the Syrian crisis despite its serious consequences and repercussions for the region and the world. Thus, the State of Qatar supports all efforts aiming to a leading collective Arab action to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis and address its political, security, economic, and humanitarian consequences by Security Council Resolution No. 2254, in a way that guarantees the unity and sovereignty of Syria and achieves the aspirations of its people by creating the appropriate conditions for the return of Syrian refugees.

His Excellency stressed that the State of Qatar would continue its endeavors to contribute effectively in all the efforts aiming to strengthen the Arab joint action to protect the Arab national security and face all common challenges, stressing the State of Qatar's full support for the Libyan political path and the and the efforts aimed at reaching a Libyan national consensus that leads to holding presidential and parliamentary elections, and achieves the national interest, stability and peace, and the aspirations of its brotherly people for development and prosperity.

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi called for reaching a political solution to the Yemeni crisis in a manner that guarantees Yemen's security, stability, sovereignty, and safety of its people. In addition, the State of Qatar supports the Iraqi government's efforts to achieve security, stability, and unity of Iraq's land and people. In addition, the State of Qatar also supports all the efforts aiming to achieve developmental and economic stability in Lebanon, Sudan, and Somalia to achieve the aspirations of the brotherly peoples in these countries towards security, development, and stability.

His Excellency said that out of its keenness to strengthen the Arab active role and achieve global Arab leadership, the state of Qatar spares no effort to contribute to all programs aiming at promoting Arab joint action to achieve comprehensive Arab national security, especially in water and food fields, and in fields of energy, industry, agriculture, and investment. The State of Qatar also calls for intensifying the Arab joint programs toward issues of the international community's interest, such as climate change and the fight against poverty. Within the framework of joint Arab action, the State of Qatar seeks to support all Arab efforts aiming to strengthen the Arab sources of strength and build Arab capacities in fields of professional media, higher education, knowledge production, youth rehabilitation, and promoting the Arab community and guard it against cultural alienation.

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs stressed that the State of Qatar would spare no effort in continuing its endeavors by working to strengthen the role and efforts of the Arab League to achieve the aspirations of the Arab region and the international community in terms of peace and security, promotion of human rights, and advancing development towards broader horizons.

His Excellency added that the State of Qatar would not hesitate or neglect any requirement of the joint Arab action institutions from plans, programs, tools, mechanisms, and hosting international events, which will not stop at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 that the State of Qatar hosted in the name of the Arab nation in an exceptional event that suited the honor of all the Arab nation. During Qatar's hosting of the World Cup, the entire world witnessed the status of the Arab nation's leading role in authenticity, abundant generosity, civilization, and extreme ability of perfect organization, which silenced all skeptics, which is a success that can be attributed to you.

Source: QNA