Your Excellency Mohammed Javad Zarif-Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
Excellency's, Ministers, and Heads of Delegation,
Your Excellency Mr. Bundit Limschoon-Secretary-General of Asia Cooperation Dialogue,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Peace be upon you and Allah's Mercy and Blessings,
It is a great pleasure to meet today at this high level to continue cooperation and coordination and to renew our commitment to the goals of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, which is of great importance to our peoples and the general public of Asia. At the outset, I would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Islamic Republic of Iran for its successful presidency of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue in 2018. We thank the Secretary-General and the working group for their continued commitment to the member states and their valuable efforts to promote joint action.
Distinguished guests,
The State of Qatar attached great importance to the Asia Cooperation Dialogue as the largest bloc within the framework of the Asian continent. The State of Qatar on this day's 2019 presidency reaffirms its commitment to support the joint action of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue and its commitment to achieving complementarity through expanding the existing cooperation between our countries in various fields, building partnerships with other regional blocs and organizations, serving the dialogue states as a united group in line with the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030, and enhancing international cooperation.
Since its establishment in 2002, the Asia Cooperation Dialogue has played a vital role in promoting cooperation and interdependence among Asian countries in all fields and contributed to the joint efforts to meet the common challenges facing our continent, particularly in the development field and to improve the quality of life, aspirations and prosperity of Asian peoples, side by side together with regional and international groups and blocs, to achieve the common objectives of the international community in the area of development, the promotion of human rights and the maintenance of international peace and security. There can be no doubt that the expansion of the member states of the forum, which amounts to 34 Asian states, underscores the Asian continent's importance and need of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue as a platform for cooperation and coordination.
Distinguished guests,
The rapid changes and transformations in our planet call for intensified cooperation to achieve the desired bilateral and multilateral integration. We are convinced that mutual understanding and regional economic integration in all aspects of vital relations will strengthen our common action and raise cooperation levels to greater levels. In this regard, the State of Qatar encourages deepening business and economic partnerships and promoting economic competiveness for Asian countries in global markets, especially as the Asian continent has the required adequate potential to push the development of human resources and economic wealth, which are elements that are conductive to the success of the process of economic integration, especially as the economies of many of the continent's nations have witnessed rapid growth rates during the past years.
Distinguished guests,
Under the framework of Qatar assuming the presidency and its keenness to work hand by hand with the Secretary-Genral of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue and the other member states, and to strive to develop the existing cooperation between them, and exploring opportunities to promote connectivity, and push forward the process of joint action, exchange views around the future of dialogue, and ways to achieve its goals in an optimal manner, Qatar is therefore honored to host the 16th Ministerial meeting for the member states at the Asia Cooperation Dialogue next year in 2019, and we look forward to the participation of heads and members of delegation during this meeting.
The State of Qatar believes that education and culture are essential pillars for the development and growth of peoples and to build a bright future for generations, and we pay great attention to them. In this context, the State of Qatar will host, on the sidelines of its chairmanship of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, a workshop for education and another for culture next year, just as a forum for businessmen will be held, which will be an important platform for presenting the experiences, visions, and ideas of distinguished investors, entrepreneurs, and experts in the fields of economy and trade, which will help open new horizons for joint cooperation, as well as expanding trade and financial markets and increasing the size of competitive strength for the countries of the Asian continent with the rest of the nations of the world.
In conclusion, I reiterate my thanks and appreciation for the efforts of the organizers of this meeting, and I reaffirm the State of Qatar's aspiration to continue cooperation and coordination with the member states of the forum. It is our great hope that the next year will witness more communication to achieve common goals, and I assure you that the State of Qatar will place the goal of the Asian consensus and cooperation and the development of mechanisms for joint action between the nations of the continent as a priority during the period of presidency.
Thank you