TASHKENT: Qatar participated in the second joint ministerial meeting of the strategic dialogue between the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf and the countries of Central Asia, which was held in Tashkent, the Republic of Uzbekistan, on Monday.
Qatar's delegation to the meeting was headed by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
In a speech by Qatar during the opening session, the prime minister said that the meeting expresses the sincere desire to strengthen relations, and also aims to shed light on common priorities and benefit from the capabilities and strengths of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the countries of Central Asia, by expanding existing cooperation frameworks, and consolidating our role as success partners for other regions.
He added, “We look forward to discussing the details of the draft treaty of friendship, regional connectivity, and cooperation between the GCC countries and the countries of Central Asia during the next stage.”
He stressed that the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council attaches importance to strategic dialogue with the countries of Central Asia and completing plans to enhance cooperation with them, pointing out that the Council emphasized this repeatedly during its recent annual sessions.
He pointed out that the first strategic dialogue in September 2022 constituted an important turning point in the process of cooperation between the two sides, which was crowned by the first historic summit of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Central Asian countries in July 2023 in Jeddah, stressing everyone’s keenness to continue this process in an effective manner.
He said: “The joint ministerial meeting is being held today in light of many global challenges that affect our countries or that our countries can contribute collectively to address, and they are challenges in various fields from climate change to the global food security crisis and from the terrorist threat to Islamophobia, and others."
He stressed that the escalation that the region witnessed during the past days clearly highlights the necessity of continuing effective communication and coordination between the various countries of the region in order to ensure the preservation of regional stability and peace, and the continued emphasis on the joint commitment to the necessity of reducing any escalation that may destabilize this stability or undermine this peace.
The prime minister recalled that "this escalation highlighted what we have repeatedly warned against since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip regarding the danger of sliding into a wider cycle of violence in the region and the importance of the tireless efforts that we have constantly made to ensure that this does not happen."
He said that the common challenges in the various political, economic, cultural, commercial, industrial and agricultural fields require everyone to continue coordinated collective action and develop innovative solutions and practical measures, noting that “this is what the joint action plan between the GCC countries and the countries of Central Asia provides for the year 2023-2027, which was approved during the first joint ministerial meeting and blessed by the summit of leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Central Asian countries”.
He explained that the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the countries of Central Asia are seeking to achieve the goals of this summit to enhance interconnection between them in all areas of cooperation, develop and study perceptions and proposals in the areas of political and security coordination, strengthen the relations of financial and economic institutions, enhance trade and investment, cooperate in education and vocational training, and exchange experiences in health and other fields. It is one of the areas that help achieve sustainable development and achieve the interests of peoples.
He stressed the need to make diligent efforts at the international level to consolidate joint Asian action and strengthen political and strategic relations between the two sides at the collective and bilateral levels.
He stated that Qatar seeks to establish more peace, security and stability at the regional and global levels, through the role it plays as a trusted regional and international mediator in resolving many crises and conflicts through peaceful and diplomatic means, and by exerting good offices in finding just and practical solutions, which is what this was demonstrated recently in the achievement of the armistice agreement for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
At the end of his speech, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the continued efforts of Qatar to find real momentum towards a peace process with a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue at its core.
