Qatar Participates in 4th EU-Arab World Summit in Athens
Athens / Information Office / October 29
The State of Qatar took part in the 4th EU-Arab World Summit, which was held in Athens Tuesday under the slogan "A Strategic Partnership".
HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi chaired the delegation of the State of Qatar.
In his speech, HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs underlined that the State of Qatar attaches great importance to the peaceful settlement of disputes in order to contribute to global peace building, noting that Qatar has succeeded in resolving many national and regional disputes through the development of "mediation diplomacy".
His Excellency appreciated the continuation of the EU-Arab World Summit, and praised the choice of this year's slogan "A Strategic Partnership".
He said that the countries of the two groups have come a long way in establishing dialogue and provided an important asset of cooperation and coordination. However, the countries of the Arab world and the European Union, which share common heritage and distinguished cultural communication and historical ties, are in urgent need, more than ever, to build a strategic partnership, imposed by the reality of the common human destiny and the requirements of stability and regional security of both groups, which in turn contributes to achieving world peace and stability.
He noted that the Arab world and the European Union share common interests and look forwards to a stable and balanced international system that reflects the principles of justice, peace and collective security.
He added that the Arab and the EU regions face common, different and pressing challenges, which reinforces the need to stand together to face these challenges and discuss ways to address them by intensifying cooperation in various fields and coordinating common positions in international forums.
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said that the situation in the Palestinian territories, the Syrian crisis, and the situation in Yemen and Libya are transnational crises and have become a threat to security and stability in both the European and the Arab regions, in addition to their negative implications for international security and peace in their comprehensive sense.
HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi expressed the hope that the European and Arab countries would cooperate prevent the dangers of wars and conflicts and to resolve all issues through peaceful means, in order to achieve the legitimate aspirations of peoples in accordance with the principles and resolutions of international legitimacy.
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs explained that the challenges of climate change, migration, energy security, achieving the objectives of sustainable development through targeted investment, the security of the sea, and the development of transport between the Arab countries and the European Union, and the growing health-care industry issues are challenges of a regional and global nature, underscoring the reality of the common destiny of all humanity.
His Excellency pointed out that the flows of refugees, displaced persons and migrants require concerted efforts to face the increase in illegal migration and to deal with it in a manner that preserves the security of States while preserving the human dignity of these migrants and refugees, and this requires addressing the root causes.
His Excellency pointed to the initiatives launched by the State of Qatar to assist in development and emergency relief under the umbrella of the United Nations, which influence the reducing of the refugees flow and curbing migration and mitigate its effects and consequences in Europe and other countries of the world.
His Excellency added that climate change, which was one of the themes of the Conference, had become one of the greatest challenges of our time, as its effects limited the ability of countries to achieve sustainable development, and this was clearly reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, whose goal 13 referred to urgent action to address climate change and its effects.
His Excellency said that achieving the slogan of today's summit "A Strategic Partnership" requires common mechanisms of action in order to build strong alliances and calls for enacting and activating legislation and laws that ensure the protection and securing of investments and partnerships between all parties, whether for countries, individuals or companies, to build strong alliances that we seek with determination to push our relations forward with broad steps to achieve our common interests.
In conclusion, His Excellency looked forward to the fact that this summit provides a good opportunity to work on developing and advancing cooperation between the Arab and European worlds to include more extensive and profound fields that serve the interests of both sides.
His Excellency hoped that the conference will be successful in its outputs and recommendations to achieve the aspirations of the Arab and European peoples for further growth, prosperity, goodness, peace and security.