Qatar’s foreign policy was generally in consistency with policies of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members for long years although it has adopted its own path of open foreign policy based on good relations with neighbours, the formation of strategic alliances with regional and global powers.
Following a different path in an Arab region, which has undergone several substantial changes within the past two decades and which has reshaped the geopolitical landscape of the region under fierce power struggle, was not an easy task or smooth march for the State of Qatar as the trend is new in the Middle East region.
Qatar decided to start a new page of openness two decades ago, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani pointed out adding the decision shaped Qatar’s foreign policy which is characterised by interaction, dialogue and cooperation. This openness strategy and diplomatic interaction approach relied on soft power tools giving much weight for foreign and humanitarian aid, adoption of educational initiatives aiming at providing education to millions of deprived children in the world, establishing global partnerships to provide interaction platforms in different fields of culture, sports, tourism and economy.
Under an emergency response to humanitarian crisis, Qatar has been a leading country in implementing a series of relief activities to support the needs including Syrian refugees in many countries, Gazan and Yemenis suffering amid war, siege, epidemics and alarmingly deteriorated living conditions.
Qatar believes that providing hope and opportunity for those people is a moral necessity, as the country provides millions of people in the region with humanitarian assistance, reconstruction, finance, basic education and job opportunities according to H E Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
Speaking at a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York yesterday, H E Sheikh Mohammed outlined that Qatar has become a mediator with experience in a region that does not use negotiation to resolve differences. Qatar’s success in this field was manifested in its effort in Lebanon ending the fighting and filling the power vacuum and bringing peace to Darfur in Sudan and “facilitating talks between the United States of America and the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban movement.” H E pointed out. For many years Qatar has began convening interfaith dialogue conferences, that brought together Christians, Jews and Muslims with a view to making coexistence between the followers of these religions a reality.
H E Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign reiterated that Qatar will “continue to play its role as a reliable mediator, “an active actor and a supporter of all parties of goodwill who wish to resolve differences and face the challenges and dangers that affect the Middle East and the world”. This is because Qatar believes that dialogue is the best way to resolve conflicts and resolve regional and global crises and dialogue is a diplomatic means to achieve a certain goal in the region.
