Al Attiyah: Foreign Policy Based on Firm Foundations and Principles

Doha, August 07 (QNA) - HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah said that the foreign policy of the State of Qatar, under the wise leadership of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is based on firm foundations and principles which reflected in moral and balanced position as well as principles of clarity and equity in dealing with all regional and international issues. Al-Attiyah stressed, in a speech he delivered at the graduation ceremony of the first batch of trainees from Diplomatic Institute at Sheraton Doha on Tuesday, that Qatar has been able to develop and maintain its relationship with all the countries while taking into account the supreme interests of the country as well as meeting the aspirations of the people of Qatar and honoring its commitment to international conventions and principles of the United Nations for peace and international security, stressing that the Qatar's policy gives full and mutual respect for the sovereignty and independence of states along with non-interference in their internal affairs, and resolves conflicts and disputes between states by peaceful means and within the framework of international law. This, he said, necessitated the expansion in opening diplomatic missions in many countries and with no doubt required the provision of skilled human resources. "At the beginning of this year, we started at the Diplomatic Institute a training program for the rehabilitation of new diplomats. The program attracted 27 graduates from local and foreign universities and today we are graduating the first batch." His Excellency added what the graduates learned in this training program is the key to access a complex political, security, economic, humanitarian, moral, social and cultural work. Al-Attiyah expressed his happiness for the graduation of the first batch of trainees from the Diplomatic Institute that was founded less than a year ago with aim to rehabilitate human resources at the Foreign Ministry HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs affirmed during his speech that the founding of the Diplomatic Institute is abreast with the constantly evolving international arena and the latest in the diplomatic field, specially in light of the critical Arab, regional, and international circumstances which produce great challenges for peoples and decision-makers, pointing out that the establishment of the Institute is in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030. Building an individual's creative skillset and training him to achieve the desired goal for the required job is essential, he said, asserting that the Foreign Ministry exerts all efforts to provide its members with valuable training opportunities. In this context, programs have been developed for trainees after consulting curricula in a number of well-known diplomatic and academic institutes on the Arab and international levels concerned with the training and qualification of diplomats, he indicated, adding that formulating comprehensive and objective subjects has been taken into account as much as possible to provide trainees with the necessary knowledge and expertise. The training program adopted by the Institute is considered to be a successful beginning, paving the way for a number of others aimed at providing new Qatari diplomats, the diplomats of the future, with the required knowledge, culture, and skills for the diplomatic, international relations, and external communication arenas, he said. As such, they will be able to honorably represent Qatar at international forums and within diplomatic missions, while performing tasks delegated to them grounded in its national constants, the Arab and Islamic identity, all while highlighting the shining facet of Qatar's foreign policy, Al Attiyah remarked. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony, HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs asserted that all possible resources have been made available for new Qatari diplomats to embark on their path. The training included a number of topics, among them conflict resolution which is a specialization at the Foreign Ministry, he said indicating that intensive courses will be set up preparing diplomatic Qatari calibers and further exposing them to these conflicts. (QNA)