Advisor to Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr Majed bin Mohammad Al Ansari has affirmed that the serious and repeated violations committed by the Israeli entity in Al-Aqsa Mosque and the ongoing escalation in the Palestinian territories represent a dangerous development affecting the whole region.
In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs weekly media briefing, Dr Al Ansari stressed that Al-Aqsa is a mosque and a sacred place for Muslims, and attempts to change this cannot be accepted and are a violation of all relevant international laws and decisions.
Dr Al Ansari called on the international community to assume its responsibilities towards protecting the rights of the Palestinian people.
He explained that the Qatari position on most issues has always been to reduce escalation by contacting and communicating with the various authorities and parties to ensure the protection of civilians' lives.
He pointed out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strongly worded statement after the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday, condemning in the strongest terms these violations that provoked more than two billion Muslims in the Holy Month of Ramadan, and issued another statement on Friday holding Israel solely responsible for the violence in the region and its blatant violations in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
Regarding the visit of Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi to Lebanon and his meeting with several officials and religious figures, he stated that the visit aimed to explore and support reaching an agreement inside Lebanon, reconciling the political parties, and reaching a consensus to get Lebanon out of its current crisis, in cooperation with the countries of the region.
He added that Qatar supports the Lebanese-Lebanese consensus to choose a presidential candidate and that it stands at the same distance from all parties and seeks to contribute to resolving the crisis by achieving intra-Lebanese consensus while standing at the same distance from everyone.
Concerning the Qatari position on the Afghan caretaker government, Dr Al Ansari underscored that when Qatar became involved in the Afghan mediation, it aimed to stop the human, economic and humanitarian bleeding and to achieve peace for this people. He said ending the war is a great achievement and Qatar is proud of its role and efforts in strengthening the state of peace after the US withdrawal.
As for the decisions of the Afghan caretaker government regarding restricting freedoms there, he said Qatar issued many statements that support the work and education of women and the reintegration of Afghanistan into the international aid system.
Dr Al Ansari touched on the visit of Omani Foreign Minister HE Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi to Doha on Wednesday, during which he will meet with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and that it comes within the framework of repeated visits to exchange views on regional developments in its various aspects, including the situation in Yemen.
He underlined that Qatar supports any effort to achieve peace in the region and stability for the Yemeni people and supports the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia because of its belief that disputes are resolved through peaceful means, which is the best and ideal option for any dispute between the parties.
Dr Al Ansari discussed the efforts and movements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the past week and its officials' meetings with several politicians and diplomats and their participation abroad, including the visit of Jordanian Prime Minister Dr Bishr Al Khasawneh and the bilateral talks he held with Qatari officials, concerning economic, investment, and trade fields and developments in Palestine.
He also touched on the meetings of the committees between Qatar and the UAE to implement the Al-Ula statement and work to restore relations between the two sides in all their aspects, as these relations are developing positively, pointing to the meeting of Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi on Wednesday with HE Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi in Riyadh and a delegation from the Kingdom of Bahrain to implement the Al-Ula statement.
