The 16th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) hosted in Doha last week was a productive diplomatic activity that played an important role in strengthening political, economic cooperation between the member states. The meeting which was attended by foreign ministers and other top officials from Asian countries was a collective expression of will by the Asian states to enhance mutual cooperation for peace, progress and prosperity.
Doha not only hosted the 16th Ministerial Meeting of the ACD but it was also decided unanimously by the ACD member states that Qatar will host the Third Summit of Asia Cooperation Dialogue in 2020. The trust of Asian countries on Qatar reflects Qatar’s growing international role. The most important part of the meeting was Doha Declaration which outlines the contours of future coordination either political or economic between ACD member states for the better tomorrow.
The Doha declaration issued by the 16th Ministerial Meeting of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) appreciated Qatar’s initiatives to teach the Arabic language to non-Arabic speakers in the ACD member states.
The meeting through joint declaration noted that communication and cooperation with other countries as well as international organizations will undoubtedly contribute to enhancing the status of the Asian countries and enable them to benefit from the global experience in various fields so that the ACD member countries can make the most of these experiences.
The declaration noted the importance of balance and its contribution to economic sustainability and overall development in promoting dialogue, mutual respect, understanding and harmony.
It also stressed the importance of regional cooperation as a key mechanism for accelerating the achievement of the three pillars of sustainable development, which include social and economic development and environmental protection, as well as the stability of the Asian region with its vast and varied natural and human resources, rich and historical heritage and economic and social potential. The participating countries underlined keenness on continuing dialogue to promote cooperation in Asia, in the light of the maintenance of peace, prosperity, solidarity, mutual respect and tolerance, and the support of dialogue among the member states in order to reach understandings and achieve aspirations.
The countries participating in the ACD Ministerial Meeting expressed strong rejection of all forms of racial and religious racism, discrimination, extremism and terrorism, stressing the importance of communication in taking the necessary measures to combat terrorism and extremism through regional and international cooperation to take the necessary measures to meet these challenges. The Doha declaration referred to the importance of promoting free trade and investment between Asian countries and removing the obstacles to this objective. Another important development is that the Doha declaration welcomed Palestine’s request to join the Asia Cooperation Dialogue.
