His Highness The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received at the Amiri Diwan Office this morning, a number of Their Excellencies members of the United States Congress on the occasion of their visit to the country. HH The Amir received Congress members Representative Darrell Issa, Representative Lou Correa, Representative Darin LaHood, Representative Jay Obernolte, Representative Andrew Garbarino, Representative Claudia Tenney, Representative Matt Gaetz and Representative Victoria Spartz. During the meeting, they reviewed the friendship and strategic cooperation relations between the two countries in several fields, and exchanged views on regional and international developments.

His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, The Amir of the State of Qatar, is participating today in the extraordinary meeting of the Group of 20 on Afghanistan, which is being held in Rome at the invitation of the State of Mr. Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, and with the participation of a number of high-end and heads of state and heads of government. His Highness the Prince will deliver a speech via visual communication technology at the main meeting.

The State of Qatar affirmed its keenness to be an active member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and continue its commitment as an active member. It also expressed its keenness to ensure the movement's unity and constructive cooperation between its countries to achieve its principles and serve its people. This came during the speech of the State of Qatar, delivered by HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, at the high-level commemorative meeting to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in Belgrade. Al Muraikhi thanked the Republic of Serbia for hosting this commemorative meeting and the Republic of Azerbaijan for its efforts while leading the work of the movement. He said that the passage of six decades since the establishment of the NAM is an opportunity to review its rich historical legacy and chart the way to continue the active role it plays on the international scene based on the goals for which it was established. He stated that the international community faces these days global challenges, some of which are completely different from the challenges it faced when the NAM was established, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the misuse of information and communication technology. However, what did not changed is the necessity of collective cooperation and coordination to confront common challenges, Al Muraikhi said, adding that this Movement continues to be an effective platform for joint action and the promotion of multilateralism. HE said that the Movement, during its long journey, has played an active role in seeking to establish a just, equitable and rules-based world order and promoting adherence to principles, goals and purposes of the United Nations, such as promoting international peace and security, sovereign equality among states, and non-interference in their internal affairs, in addition to guaranteeing the right of people to enjoy economic and social development and human rights. Al Muraikhi explained that the Movement, as an important international bloc, made valuable contributions during the past six decades in advancing international action on the issues it is concerned with, most notably the issue of Palestine, adding that the Movement still has a principled position regarding Palestine that emphasize the importance of a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement on the basis of International law, international legality and the continuous defense of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The Movement also played a prominent role in the process of reforming the United Nations and strengthening its role in the international arena and making its work more transparent, effective and accountable, so that it will be more representative and democratic, HE stated. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said that we seize the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement to renew the State of Qatar's commitment to the values of the Movement and the principles of the Bandung Conference on which it was founded, and to strive to achieve a world of equality, justice and stability, adding that these principles are fully consistent with the policies and orientations of the State of Qatar at the international level.

he State of Qatar participated on Tuesday in the sixth ministerial meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), which is being held in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan. The State of Qatar's participating delegation in the conference was headed by HE Deputy Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. During the State of Qatar's speech that His Excellency has delivered, he extended thanks and appreciation to the Republic of Kazakhstan - which is the current President of the CICA conference, for its hospitality and well-organized meeting. His Excellency expressed Qatar's positive appreciation for CICA's path during the past thirty years since its establishment, at the initiative of HE First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, as a forum for dialogue and unifying the efforts of a wide group of Asian countries to participate in the activity of establishing security and stability in Asia, and to establish a comprehensive membership network in order to confront the emerging challenges and threats in the region, which are still hotbeds of terrorism and regional conflicts. In this context, His Excellency said that it is difficult to overestimate the value of CICA's confidence-building catalogue, which includes a broad concept of stability and security issues in their political, economic, cultural, humanitarian, counter-terrorism, and other dimensions that contribute to strengthening multilateral cooperation among member states. This meeting is being held under international circumstances and conditions that has become very complex in the recent years, as in addition to conflicts, escalating crises and international terrorism around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a new threat and a serious challenge, especially for those living in conflict areas, His Excellency added. His Excellency highlighted Qatar's acknowledgement that multilateral cooperation is the only way to meet the challenges of epidemics, climate change and the environment in general, which is why Qatar has provided assistance to many countries of the world, in order to confront and control the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, in addition to its active participation in international efforts in mobilizing resources and energies to confront this pandemic and its repercussions. He also pointed out Qatar's role in supporting research centers in several countries to reduce the serious negative repercussions of the pandemic, to ensure the efficiency of health care, especially in the least developed countries. ​

His Highness The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received this morning at the Amiri Diwan Office, Chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Robert Menendez and the accompanying delegation, who called on HH to greet him on the occasion of their visit to the country. During the meeting, relations of cooperation and friendship between the two countries were reviewed in a number of joint strategic areas, in addition to the most prominent regional and international developments, especially the developments in Afghanistan. ​

The State of Qatar has affirmed that it will remain a platform for cooperation between all countries and parties that believe in the importance of joint international action, adding that it will not hesitate to continue its pioneering role in humanitarian work and in support of international efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This came in the statement of the State of Qatar, delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, before the Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) of the General Assembly of the 76th session of the United Nations on "Crisis, Resilience and Recovery - Accelerating Progress towards the 2030 Agenda." The statement pointed out that the State of Qatar has taken many precautionary measures to confront the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure the health and safety of all citizens and residents. The State of Qatar's investment in technology, science, and innovation has also constituted a decisive and enabling tool to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and moving to the distance learning process quickly without any interruption, taking into account the inclusiveness of education for all, it added. The statement added that the State of Qatar did not hesitate to continue its leading role in humanitarian work and was supportive of international efforts to combat the pandemic with contributions that exceeded USD140 million. The State of Qatar signed a USD10 million basic contribution agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the work program of the organization and the initiative to accelerate the availability of tools to combat the COVID-19 in the countries most in need. Also, the statement referred to the honorable role of Qatar Airways, which succeeded in transporting a large number of passengers and repatriating them at a time when the pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to the global aviation sector. Qatar Airways has also played an active role in transporting food aid and anti-epidemic requirements to dozens of countries around the world, it added. The statement indicated that the State of Qatar was a pioneer in allocating a USD20 million multi-year contribution to support the UNDP Accelerator Lab, as Qatar is a founding investor for these laboratories, whose work has shown a vital impact on the lives of many around the world. Furthermore, the statement expressed the State of Qatar's pride in hosting the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha from Jan. 23 to 27, 2022, pointing out that the preparatory process for the conference is proceeding as intended despite the many obstacles imposed by the pandemic.

The State of Qatar reiterated its strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms when, wherever it is committed, whoever commits it, regardless of its justifications, stressing that the threat posed by terrorism to international peace and security calls for more effective cooperation among Member States and a speedy conclusion of the comprehensive convention on international terrorism. Mr. Ali al-Mansouri, second secretary of Qatar's permanent delegation to the United Nations, made the statement to the 6th United Nations (Legal) Committee of the General Assembly at its 76th session on "Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism". The Statement of the State of Qatar stressed the need for the Convention to include a specific definition of terrorism, not to link it to a particular religion, race or culture, with the need to distinguish between terrorism and legitimate resistance to foreign occupation and self-defence, and the right to self-determination of the peoples under occupation. Qatar's counter-terrorism policy is based on a comprehensive approach consistent with the four pillars of the global counter-terrorism strategy, It is in line with the fact that Qatar is a distinguished partner in international counter-terrorism efforts, its keenness to implement the obligations arising from its accession to the relevant international instruments and to take the necessary measures to implement all international resolutions, including Security Council resolutions on counter-terrorism. He pointed to Qatar's active participation in international mechanisms to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts and financing, as well as bilateral cooperation with counter-terrorism agencies in friendly countries. The statement noted the State of Qatar's effective cooperation with several national bodies, including the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, the National Committee against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, the Attorney General's Office, the Central Bank of Qatar and others. He stressed that The State of Qatar continued to cooperate with relevant United Nations bodies, particularly the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office and the Executive Directorate for Counter-Terrorism. Qatar's statement referred to the partnership between Qatar and the UNITED Nations Counter-Terrorism Office, stressing Qatar's pride in being a major contributor to its resources, contributing $75 million for 2019-2023 to support the office's core resources. The Qatar statement also noted the International Centre for Behavioural Visions against Terrorism in Doha, a Qatar-funded UN Counter-Terrorism Office, which plays a leading role at the international level to gather, share expertise and support research in this area. The statement also referred to the opening of the Office of Programmes on Parliamentary Participation in Prevention and Counter-Terrorism in Doha, which plays an important role in facilitating the development of legislative models on the rights of victims, extremism and other areas to activate the role of parliaments in the fight against terrorism and extremism. The statement highlighted qatar's role in harnessing sport to combat terrorism, through the International Sports Security Center, a Doha-based non-profit organization that protects major sporting events and prevents extremism leading to terrorism through sports. He also noted Qatar's extensive and diverse activities and its active role in the fight against terrorism. In conclusion, the statement reiterated Qatar's commitment to continue to cooperate with the United Nations counter-terrorism agencies, Member States and the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, stressing the determination to continue to work as an international partner to eliminate

H.E. Lolwa Bint Rashid al-Khater, Assistant Secretary of State, foreign ministry spokesman, called on the international community to work for a clear road map in Afghanistan, explaining that there is no need to recognize the Taliban now, but there is an urgent need to establish a relationship with them. In an interview with Foreign Policy magazine, Her Excellency said that Qatar, through Qatari technical teams, contributed to the operation of Kabul airport as well as facilitating evacuations from Afghanistan, where Doha carried out four flights from Afghanistan carrying 777 passengers of different nationalities. The American magazine said Qatar has emerged as a central mediator in the Afghan crisis. Since the Taliban opened a political office in 2013, Qatar has hosted talks between the Trump administration and the Taliban that resulted in the Doha Agreement in February 2020, which set a timetable for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops. Since then, Qatar has played a major role in evacuating foreign and Afghan citizens from Kabul in August. Some 60,000 people have been evacuated through Doha, which continues to serve as a major transit point for Afghan refugees awaiting resettlement. ​

HH Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan met in Abu Dhabi with HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. The meeting dealt with reviewing bilateral cooperation between the two countries, and the means to enhance them.

HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani co-chaired alongside Under-Secretary-General of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Vladimir Voronkov a virtual meeting of the International Expert Group Meeting on Vulnerable Targets and Unmanned Aircraft Systems convened by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the United States, the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and in consultation with INTERPOL. The two-day meeting comes within the context of the follow-up and development of the strategies of the Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets, which was launched early 2021, and funded by the State of Qatar as part of its commitment to support the strategic priorities of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism. At the beginning of the meeting, HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani expressed in her speech Qatar's readiness to contribute to strengthening international cooperation and building capacities to confront terrorist acts against targets at risk, stressing that continuous efforts are being made to mitigate all risks against soft and easy targets. Her Excellency added that vital infrastructures and open public spaces or the so-called "soft" targets are uniquely vulnerable to terrorist attacks, and deserve continuous efforts to mitigate all risks, stressing the need for international cooperation and partnerships between a wide range of actors.Her Excellency said, "the State of Qatar has taken this matter into consideration within the framework of its partnership with international partners such as the UNOCT and INTERPOL. It has developed expertise and capabilities in this field." "The United Nations, in specific the UNOCT, has an important role to play in coordinating efforts to protect vulnerable targets, identify best practices and gaps, and support capacity building," She added. Her Excellency called for effective and necessary preventive measures to be taken with regard to the targets at risk, stressing the need for a better understanding of the various and new threats against them, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS), which provide a means for collecting intelligence information, conducting surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as carrying out attacks. "Terrorists have wasted no time in exploiting these opportunities to carry out their reprehensible agenda, as they have with other new technologies. But although UAS technology is relatively new, it has proven accessible to actors with limited resources, which makes is especially dangerous," HE stressed. She added, "the open nature of so-called "soft" targets is cause for special concern in this regard as it makes them prime targets. Therefore, there is a need for specific measures to protect them, and to anticipate and thwart misuse of drones by terrorist groups." "But while UAS can be a threat in the wrong hands, this versatile technology can be harnessed by Member States and the United Nations in the context of security and as a useful addition to the Counter Terrorism toolkit. This includes intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, border security and management, and protection of vulnerable targets," she said. A panel of experts, representatives from Member States, local authorities, international, regional and non-regional organizations, the private sector and civil society participated in the meeting to raise awareness and identify good practices to address the threat posed by terrorists against vulnerable targets. ​