Joint Statement on Holding 7th Meeting of Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council
Doha, December 05 (QNA) - Based on the established historical ties and fraternal relations between the leaderships of the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and their brotherly peoples, and in support of bilateral relations between them, and the positive results from the mutual fraternal visits of HH the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and his brother HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, that contributed to expanding the scope of cooperation between the two countries, and based on the fruitful results of the sixth meeting of the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council, held in the State of Qatar on 5/5/1443 AH corresponding 9/12/2021 AD, in response to the kind invitation of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, made an official visit to the State of Qatar on 21/5/1445 AH corresponding 5/12/2023 AD.
In an atmosphere dominated by the spirit of friendship, brotherhood and mutual trust, the seventh meeting of the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council was held during the visit under the joint chairmanship of HH the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and with the participation of Their Highnesses and Excellencies the members of the Council, heads of subcommittees, and members of the Executive Committee on both sides.
At the beginning of the meeting, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani welcomed his brother HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and the accompanying delegation to their second country, the State of Qatar, and expressed in his speech the depth of the fraternal and historical relations between the two countries and the two brotherly peoples. For his part, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud expressed his happiness at visiting his second country, the sisterly State of Qatar, again, and meeting with his brother, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. His Royal Highness indicated in his speech the rapid development and cooperation witnessed in the bilateral relations between the two countries at all levels, considering that this council is one of the most important means of communication and coordination between the two countries that embodies the established relations, and that it is necessary to strive with all seriousness to deepen and expand the areas of bilateral cooperation in a way that achieves a renaissance for the two countries and their peoples future and sustainable growth.
HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani congratulated HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on the city of Riyadh's winning the bid to host the World Expo 2030, and the Kingdom's nomination to host the 2034 World Cup. HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud appreciated the support of the government of the State of Qatar for the city of Riyadh's victory to host the World Expo 2030, and the Kingdom's candidacy to host the 2034 World Cup.
The chairpersons of the council, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and his brother, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, expressed their satisfaction with the positive results, outputs and initiatives reached in the subcommittee meetings and agreed to sign a number of agreements and memorandums of understanding that would enhance cooperation between the two countries in all fields. They stressed the importance of continuing to support and develop the work of the Council and its subcommittees and permanent coordination between the two sides to contribute to enhancing its effectiveness as an institutional tool regulating business in various fields, and following up on the implementation of the recommendations and initiatives of the subcommittees with the support and assistance of both the Executive Committee and the General Secretariat of the Council.
Regarding the political issue, the two sides expressed their satisfaction at the advanced level reached by political consultations that express the depth of the fraternal relationship existing between them, and stressed the importance of continuing to consolidate and enhance cooperation and political consultation between the two countries regarding regional and international issues of common concern.
On security and military matters, the two sides noted the importance of strengthening security and military cooperation in a way that contributes to supporting the security and stability of the region, in addition to consolidating cooperation in the fields of military training and scholarships, exchanging experiences and building partnerships in the security and military fields.
Both sides, on the sports affairs, praised the coordination that took place between them during the State of Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022, the cooperation that took place between the Qatar Football Association, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy organizing the FIFA World Cup 2022, and the Saudi Football Federation, and the cooperation that took place between the relevant government agencies to facilitate the process of transporting masses, including coordination at land and air ports.
In the cultural, tourism and entertainment issues, the two sides praised the existing coordination and cooperation between the two countries in the cultural, tourism and entertainment fields, through the exchange of experiences and coordination in preparing joint cultural files and enhancing cooperation between the two countries with regard to registration on the list of tangible heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), participating in cultural festivals and events between the two countries, holding joint cultural seminars, and improving the access routes for international tourists to the two countries.
In the economic, trade and investment fields, the two sides stressed the significance of strengthening economic partnerships, developing joint work to diversify and increase the volume of trade exchange between the two countries, facilitating the flow of commercial traffic, overcoming the potential challenges it may face, and investing in the opportunities available within the framework of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Kingdom's Vision 2030, and transforming them to tangible partnerships in all fields for the benefit of the economies of the two nations and their brotherly peoples.
They also underlined the importance of raising the level of investment cooperation and supporting economic integration opportunities in several targeted sectors in the two countries.
With regard to investment, energy and infrastructure, the two sides underscored the importance of exploring avenues to expand investment partnerships among them, along with the joint cooperation to promote investment, develop and empower entrepreneurship and technology through the concerned entities in the two countries, as well as launching the Qatari-Saudi initiative for digital skills between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the State of Qatar and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Saudi Arabia.
The two sides said they are willing to discuss boosting cooperation in energy, such as electricity, energy efficiency, and renewable energy, as well as the future of transportation and its cutting-edge technologies, railway connectivity between the two nations, agriculture and food security, for the common interest of the economies of the two nations.
In the media field, the two sides agreed to forge a strategic partnership between the Qatar Media Corporation and the Ministry of Media in Saudi Arabia in all media sectors, including beefing up the reliability of media content, keeping up with the media events hosted by the two countries, in addition to highlighting them globally, programmatic exchange and joint production, as well as organizing audio-visual media. The two sides signed an array of agreements and MoUs that encompassed cooperation in the works of the central banks in the two countries, in addition to the field of youth and sports.
Regionally, the two sides discussed developments in Palestine and expressed their grave concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, particularly the brutal crimes unfolding in Gaza which took the lives of thousands of defenseless civilians from children, women and the elderly, the obliteration of critical facilities, places of worship and infrastructure due to the flagrant assaults perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces. They stressed the importance of halting the military operations in the Palestinian territories and protecting the civilians based on international law and humanitarian international law, affirming the significance of the role that should be undertaken by the international community to put an end to the Israeli violations and ramping up pressure on Israel to stop its brutal attacks and the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza Strip which are considered a gross violation of the humanitarian international law and international laws.
In addition, the two sides emphasized the importance of empowering the humanitarian international organizations to discharge their role in providing humanitarian and relief assistance to the Palestinian people, including UN organizations, especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and supporting their efforts in this regard.
It is extremely important to mount efforts to attain a comprehensive and just settlement for the Palestinian cause based on the two-state solution, Arab peace initiative and relevant international legitimacy resolutions to ensure that the Palestinian people regain their rights in establishing their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, the two sides stressed.
The Qatari side praised Saudi Arabia's hosting of the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit and the resolutions the summit produced which primarily helped yield a unified collective stance of the Arab and Islamic countries towards the incidents ongoing in Palestine, hailing the Saudi-led efforts in implementing the summit's resolutions to further crystalize an international action to halt the aggression on Gaza.
Reciprocally, the Saudi side lauded the unwavering efforts exerted by the State of Qatar, including the successful mediation that produced the humanitarian pause deal in Gaza to deliver humanitarian and relief assistance, fuel to meet the humanitarian needs of Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and release detainees, as well as its continued endeavor to reach a comprehensive ceasefire, and an agreement on the evacuation of holders of foreign passports and some injured civilians from the Gaza Strip.
Regarding the Yemeni issue, the two sides stressed the importance of fully supporting international and regional efforts to reach a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis, and appreciated the international efforts to strengthen commitment to the truce, stressing the significance of engagement of all concerned parties positively with international and international efforts to end the Yemeni crisis and seriously handle peace initiatives and efforts, in accordance with the outcomes of the Comprehensive National Dialogue Conference and UN Security Council Resolution No. (2216).
The Qatari side praised the Kingdom's efforts and its numerous initiatives aimed at encouraging dialogue and reconciliation among the Yemeni parties, along with its role in providing and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance to all regions of Yemen, the financial support Saudi Arabia provides to address the difficult financial conditions facing the Yemeni government, and the development projects provided by the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY).
The two sides welcomed the progress achieved in the second Jeddah talks on Nov. 7, 2023, which contributed to the resumption of dialogue between the two sides of the conflict to reach a commitment to take steps to facilitate an increase in humanitarian aid and implement confidence-building measures, in preparation for reaching a permanent cessation of the conflict and alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people.
On the Syrian issue, the two sides stressed the importance of finding a just and comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis that ends all its repercussions and contributes to the safe voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their country and the preservation of the unity and territorial integrity of Syria. They also expressed their aspiration that the Syrian government will take serious steps to address the roots of this crisis, in a way that supports the stability of the Syrian Arab Republic and the unity and integrity of its territories.
The Qatari side welcomed the agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran to resume bilateral diplomatic relations, expressing its hope that this step will contribute to enhancing security and stability in the region, in a way that preserves the sovereignty of countries and non-interference in their internal affairs.
The two sides also called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding the peacefulness of its nuclear program, stressing the importance that any agreement would contribute to establishing comprehensive negotiations in which the countries of the region participate, in a way that contributes to achieving regional and international security and stability.
The two sides, on international affairs, renewed their keenness to continue bilateral coordination and intensify efforts aimed at maintaining international peace and security. They exchanged views on issues of concern to both countries in the regional and international arenas and affirmed their determination to enhance cooperation and joint coordination towards them, and to continue their support for everything that would establish peace and stability in the region and the world.
Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, both sides stressed the importance of settling differences by peaceful means, and making possible efforts to reduce the escalation in a way that contributes to restoring security and stability, and limits the negative repercussions of this crisis.
The Saudi side hailed the State of Qatar's mediation efforts with the two sides of the crisis to reunite children with their families in Ukraine and the financial support it provided to Ukraine. The Qatari side also praised the humanitarian and political efforts undertaken by HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud including the release of a number of prisoners of different nationalities, and the ongoing efforts in this regard.
At the end of the meeting, HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud expressed his thanks and appreciation to his brother, HH the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for the good reception and organization of the fruitful Council meeting. Their Highnesses affirmed their keenness to strengthen and deepen the distinguished bilateral relations and move them to broader horizons, expressing their sincere wishes for continued security and stability in the two brotherly countries.
Their Highnesses also thanked Their Highnesses and Excellencies, the heads and members of the Executive Committee, the subcommittees, the General Secretariat of the Council, and the work teams for their efforts to make the work of the seventh meeting of the Council a success. (QNA)
