Nouakchott, Media & Communication Dept., March 16

The State of Qatar participated in the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mauritania's capital Nouakchott.
The State of Qatar was represented in the meeting by HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi.
Delivering the speech of the State of Qatar, HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs extended thanks to the government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania for its hospitality, preparation and successful organization of the work of the 49th session of the Council of OIC Foreign Ministers, and to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for its distinguished organization of the work of the previous session. His Excellency also thanked HE Secretary-General of OIC Hissein Brahim Taha and the staff for the good preparation and organization for the success of this session.
His Excellency expressed the State of Qatar's solidarity with the brothers in Turkey and Syria, who are still suffering from the effects of the earthquake disaster.
The State of Qatar has provided urgent humanitarian and relief aid to them, and will continue to provide more, His Excellency said, calling on OIC Member States to provide more support for the Turkish government's efforts to overcome the effects of this disaster, and to provide assistance to the Syrian people.
His Excellency added that this session is taking place amid the complex international challenges due to political crises and conflicts, the faltering efforts to achieve sustainable development, the food security crisis, the exacerbation of the climate crisis, and the continued vulnerability of countries to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The State of Qatar always affirms the importance of giving priority to assisting developing countries, foremost of which are Islamic countries, to achieve the sustainable development goals, which are essential for political and social stability and prosperity, His Excellency said, highlighting that the State of Qatar is proud to continue its active role in upholding the values and principles of cooperation, partnership and solidarity by helping countries, peoples, and communities suffering from economic crises, conflicts, poverty, and debt.
In this context, His Excellency highlighted Qatar's hosting of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in early March, a gathering that saw high-level participation from various countries of the world and led to the announcement of pledges of more than USD1.3 billion in the form of grants, investments, loans, aid, development projects and technical support, with a focus on implementing the Doha Program of Action (DPoA) and the Doha Political Declaration, which includes areas of cooperation in the field of development and reducing the consequences of economic crises and natural disasters in the LDCs within the next 10 years.
Coinciding the hosting of LDC5, the UN House was opened March 4 in Doha, which includes offices of 12 international organizations whose activities cover peace-building, counter-terrorism, development and humanitarian support, His Excellency added, highlighting that other international organizations are expected to join the UN House in Doha.
His Excellency noted that the State of Qatar is making efforts, through its presidency of the Executive Council of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), in the continuous search to develop technological and research solutions that help agricultural activities achieve food security and address environmental challenges and sustainability, by taking advantage of renewable energy and technologies for processing by-products, recycling waste and using treated water and progress in monitoring technologies and artificial intelligence, expressing the State of Qatar's praise for the announcement of Dec. 11 as an annual IOFS Day.

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, expressed the pride of the State of Qatar as the first Islamic country to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the outstanding success of the tournament, which, through the participation of more than a million fans and hundreds of millions of followers around the world, deepened the interaction of civilizations and cultures and highlighted Islamic culture in its best form and enhanced the image of the State of Qatar, the generosity of its people and its Islamic values.
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said: "The Palestinian issue remains the first central issue for the Arab and Islamic nations, and the State of Qatar stresses its positions in support of all international efforts aimed at reaching a solution to the Palestinian issue." His Excellency continued by saying: "We express our belief that a just and comprehensive peace and stability in the Middle East will not be achieved until after the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights, foremost of which are the right of return of refugees and self-determination, an end to illegal occupation and illegal settlement operations, and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine, with east Jerusalem as its capital, and on the basis of the two-state solution and the Arab peace initiative and in implementation of the resolutions of international legitimacy, in addition to ending the Israeli occupation of all occupied Arab lands, including the Syrian Golan." From this standpoint, His Excellency added, Qatar condemns the repeated attacks on the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque by the occupation forces and Israeli settlers, and stresses that these attacks constitute a flagrant violation of international law and a provocation of the feelings of Muslims, with Qatar refusal to prejudice the existing historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy places in occupied East Jerusalem.
His Excellency affirmed the State of Qatar's condemnation in the strongest terms of the statements of the Israeli Minister of Finance, in which he called to erase a Palestinian town, saying that Qatar also condemn the repeated aggression against Palestinian refugee camps and plans to expand illegal settlements.
His Excellency expressed the State of Qatar's welcome to the joint statement issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People's Republic of China, regarding the resumption of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the reopening of their embassies and the activation of a number of bilateral agreements.
His Excellency said that the State of Qatar hopes that this step will contribute to strengthening security and stability in the region, for the benefit of all the peoples of the region and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
His Excellency stated that the State of Qatar expresses its deep solidarity with the brotherly Somali people, and renews its support for them to get out of the plight of famine due to desertification and drought that struck Somalia as part of the negative effects and repercussions of the climate change crisis, reaffirming the State of Qatar's support for the brothers in Somalia to confront extremism and terrorism, security challenges, and state building.
His Excellency explained that in the context of continuing its numerous and remarkable efforts in supporting and aiding the Afghan people, the State of Qatar calls on all member states and the international community to help the brotherly Afghan people, especially in light of the humanitarian, security and human rights conditions they are living through, with full commitment to international humanitarian principles and standards.
His Excellency continued, Qatar also call on the caretaker government to review its decisions related to restricting the rights of women and girls, and that it must strictly observe its international legal obligations, as well as that it should follow intrusive policies regarding the drug problem in Afghanistan.
His Excellency stressed that the State of Qatar is making unremitting efforts to contribute to the peaceful resolution of disputes, which is one of its priorities, and has accepted mediation to resolve the Chadian crisis based on its being a reliable and neutral mediator in international disputes, where the State of Qatar believes that true reconciliation between the spectra of the Chadian people is the sure guarantee for the sustainability of peace and stability and building a state of law and development in Chad, and the preliminary agreement constitutes a first step in the path of Chadian reconciliation.
His Excellency pointed out that the State of Qatar has a leading role in preventing and combating terrorism and extremism and limiting the effects of these phenomena in various fields, noting that the State of Qatar continues to take the necessary measures to reduce this phenomenon through bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation.
His Excellency stated that the State of Qatar and its institutions have contributed to supporting many initiatives and centers aimed at combating terrorism, pointing to the State of Qatar hosting the International Hub on Behavioral Insights to Counter Terrorism, and the office concerned with parliamentary participation in preventing and combating terrorism, of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, in the recently opened United Nations House.
His Excellency hoped that the meeting would accomplish remarkable achievements in the context of unifying efforts to collectively address the challenges facing the Islamic nation and strengthen its solidarity. His Excellency said that Qatar reaffirms its commitment to fulfill its pledges to strengthen the bonds of unity and solidarity between the OIC member states and their peoples.