QNA
The State of Qatar will celebrate the National Day on 18th of December today while it is proud of the glories of the past and the achievements of the present with hope for a bright future, peace, accomplishment and success.
The motto of this year’s celebrations will be “As long as it is proven by our deeds ... Qatar remains free.”
On this significant day in the history of our country, we recall the wonderful biography of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, who placed the foundation of our modern state, protected the dignity of its people and made the country united, cohesive and independent when he took office on 18 December 1878. The State united by the Founder became feared by the adversaries, embraced its siblings and friends, respected covenants and rights of its neighbors and adhered to values, morals and principles.
The National Day celebration this year is important as the country is currently facing major challenges from hateful and greedy adversaries. The celebration also comes at time when various indicators are confirming that Qatar overcame all challenged and continued its journey with clear vision, plans and advanced strategies supported by strong will and ambition projects to fortify our nation against all risk and crises and to complete its march and renaissance under the leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and his government.
The National Day is a great occasion, in which we recall the glory of the past and sacrifices of our ancestors. It is also an occasion to renew our loyalty to our leader HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. The unity between the people and the leadership lead to the development of the State in a record time and enabled Qatar to become a model and an example for welfare, economic and social development based on the foundations inherited from previous generations.
Thanks to God and the wisdom, guidance and policies of our leadership, the State of Qatar is proceeding on the path of development and is moving steadily and confidently towards the future, for the sake of the nation’s prosperity. Qatar is also preparing the Qatari citizen to be able to give, achieve, excel, build the nation and protect it through education, dedicated work and self-reliance in various fields.
2018 was a bright year due to Qatar’s achievements, successes and excellence in various local and foreign sectors. The country is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. It is the world’s largest liquefied natural gas producer and has become a major force in foreign investment, in addition to its achievements in political, cultural, social and legislative spheres.
The most important achievements this year were Qatar’s foreign relations’ political, economic, military and defense successes along with the strategic alliances it made through its active, calm diplomacy, which is based on the policy of mutual respect and common interests. These achievements were outlined by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani through his guidance to build the economic independence of the State of Qatar and protect its national security and strengthen bilateral relations with all countries of the world.
The year 2018 was market by HH the Amir’s visit to Turkey, Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Russia, the United States, Kuwait, France, United Kingdom, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Croatia, Italy and Malaysia. Qatari interests were high on the agenda of discussions during these visits.
Additionally, HH the Amir participated in the Munich Security Conference held in the Federal Republic of Germany last February. It is important to point out that the State of Qatar will host the Munich Security Conference next year 2019. In May, HH the Amir participated in the Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference in Istanbul, which was dedicated to the development in Palestine.
In September, HH the Amir participated in the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York, where he delivered a comprehensive speech on Qatar’s position on the unfair blockade imposed on it, as well as its position and vision on the most important issues. HH also announced that Qatar will provide good education for a million girls by the year 2021. Furthermore, HH attended the opening of the Paris Peace Forum in response to the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron, the President of France.
Emphasizing the importance, respect and appreciation of the leaders of brotherly and friendly countries to Qatar, a number of heads of State have visited the country this year, including Presidents of Sierra Leone, the Russian Republic of Ingushetia, Ukraine, Togo, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Palestine, Cote d’Ivoire, Nepal, Ghana, Rwanda, Ecuador.
HH the Amir also met with many Arab and foreign senior officials, including the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) and the Director General of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In order to strengthen Qatari relations with major international actors, Qatar’s economic tour took place across the United States this year. It included four economic forums between the State of Qatar and the United States in Miami, Washington DC, Charleston in South Carolina and North Carolina, in order to highlight the strong economic potential of the State and the major development projects that are implemented to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030 as well as the projects related to the 2022 World Cup.
Earlier this year, the inaugural strategic dialogue between the State of Qatar and the United States was held in Washington, DC, aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership between the two friendly countries in various fields and consolidating the historic relations between Doha and Washington at all levels. The State of Qatar also held two rounds of strategic dialogue with Britain and China.
Regarding the defense sector, there were remarkable Qatari moves and events during the current year in order to fortify Qatar and protect its gains, sovereignty and capabilities. In this context, a new airbase called “Tamim Airbase” was established. HH the Amir, Commander-in-Chief of the Qatari Armed Forces, launched the operations of the Qatari Amiri Air Force and the British Royal Air Force joint squadron which will have a prominent and effective role in protecting the Qatari airspace during the 2022 World Cup.
H E Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah also inaugurated the production lines of Typhoon and Hawk T2 for Qatar in Warton in the United Kingdom. In Boeing Company plant in the US State of Missouri, HE inaugurated the F-15 aircraft production line for the Qatari Amiri Air Forces.
The signing ceremony for the establishment of the Qatari squadron of the NH90 helicopter, and a contract for the construction of seven new-generation naval vessels were took place in Rome.
In January, it was agreed to establish a joint operation fleet between the State of Qatar and the United Kingdom to ensure mutual combat readiness, increase joint measures in the fight against terrorism and develop strategic efforts towards stability inside and outside the region.
The State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Defense, signed a security agreement with NATO at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels. This agreement seeks to establish a bilateral military strategy to consolidate security and peace in the region and strengthen the efforts of Qatar and the NATO in confronting the security challenges in the world.
As part of the land, air and naval defense exercises, Qatari forces carried out a series of exercises with the participation of the forces of a number of friendly countries. In order to enhance military action, the Ministry of Defence has established a company named Barzan Holdings that aims at enhancing the military capabilities and investment in the defence industry. The company also supports research and development efforts in the field of military technology.
In regard of the State’s keenness in the educational process, H H the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani patronized the 11th edition of the Education Excellence Day ceremony. H H the Amir met with the 64 winners of Education Excellence Day award and expressed his delight at meeting them to celebrate and encourage their achievement, in view of what this outstanding group adds qualitatively to the country’s path and scientific progress. H H also patronized the inauguration ceremony of the Qatar National Library (QNL).
The Water Security Mega Reservoirs Project, which was inaugurated recently by H H the Amir, is another achievement of the State of Qatar and the largest of its kind in the world.
H H the Amir launched the web portal of the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic, the first of its kind in the history of Arabs and Arabic, and reflects Qatar’s keenness to protect the Arabic language and promote the identity of the Arab nation by promoting its language.
In the framework of the Qatari interaction with international concerns, H H the Amir, Prime Minister of Malaysia and the UN Secretary-General honoured the winners of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award, during a ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur this month.
In the field of energy, Qatar Petroleum (QP) was able to achieve rapid steps locally and internationally in the oil and gas sector especially in 2018. QP conducted an international technical study to assess the various sedimentary basins at a global level, in co-operation with French Petroleum Institute (IFP). The study will be used to direct QP future plans towards the field of global exploration and production.
In terms of acquisition and global exploration agreements, a consortium including QP won the bid for exploration and production of offshore in the Sultanate of Oman, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and South Africa. QP signed an agreement with Shell to develop LNG marine fuelling or bunkering infrastructure at strategic shipping locations across the globe.
For the rest of the achievements, Qatargas and RasGas have been merged to create a world-class operator of scale, service and reliability that will create significant opportunities for operating cost savings of nearly QR2bn annually. Qatar Petroleum has also announced that drilling operations to expand LNG production in Al Shamal field will begin in 2019.
Regarding the area of athletic achievements, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani patronized the ceremony of revealing the design for Lusail Stadium, the venue at which the opening and final games of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar will take place.
All the projects are proceeding in accordance with a timetable. In July 2018, HH the Amir officially received the mantle of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and in October 2018, HH the Amir has been re-elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
On Qatar’s sports team, Qatar National Teams (Al-Ada’am) have made a series of achievements and many titles contributing to raising the flag of Qatar in international forums. Al-Ada’am players had a significant presence in the fields of regional and international competitions, which culminated in a large number of Asian and international medals.
The State of Qatar had hosted the 48th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships for the first time in the Middle East with the participation of more than 700 players of 80 countries around the world.
The security committee of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) adopted an integrated electronic security framework in preparation for Qatar 2022 World Cup. The move aims at identifying competencies and basic electronic security needs to protect the vital national services offered by the participating parties to support the organization of this event.
Sidra Medicine was officially opened in 2018 as a global medical center dedicated to providing healthcare for women and children to contribute to enhancing the vision of the State of Qatar and its great interest and commitment to developing the healthcare system to serve patients from Qatar, the region and the world.
In the framework of human development and the protection of human rights which are the top priorities of the State of Qatar, our wise government has taken many initiatives and issued many laws, legislations and decisions to develop the business and investment environment in the country to promote economic growth and expand the role of the private sector in various activities.
With regard to the top ranked health systems, the State of Qatar’s health system ranked 13th among the best health systems in the world and ranked the first in the Middle East.
Qatar also topped the list of the best countries in terms of quality of the Arab education system and ranked the fifth in the world according to the Competitiveness Report for 2017-2018.
Qatar ranked among the top 10 economies in 14 competitive indicators in the same report. It also ranked the first in the Arab world and second in the annual crime index, which confirmed that Qatar is one of the least countries in the world in terms of crime rates in general.
Qatar received the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards for 2018. Qatar maintained its ranking position in the World Peace Index to be the first in the Arab world and the 30th out of 163 countries in the world in 2017. Qatar also ranked the first in the Arab world and the 40th in the field of combating money laundering and terrorism financing.
In recognition of quality and excellence, Qatar Airways (QA) was awarded the best business class in the world, the Best Business Class Seat in the world, Best Airline in the Middle East and the Best first Class Airline Lounge in the World.
As part of the national support for educational and external development projects, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairman of the Education Above All Foundation, announced during the New York Public Library ceremony that the Foundation’s “Educate a Child” program has successfully achieved its goal of re-enrolling 10 million children in schools around the world.
Qatar’s stance in support of the Palestinian cause has remained steadfast, committed and firm. It never stops contaminating in all conferences, it provides material and moral support to the Palestinian brothers in the occupied territories and Al-Quds Holy City in all fields. In this context, under the guidance of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar Fund For Development has pledged $ 150 million in humanitarian aid to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip for years.
In accordance with HH the Amir’s directives, Qatar has pledged to provide 10,000 jobs in Qatar to young men and women of the Kingdom of Jordan, in addition to investing $ 500 million in the infrastructure and the tourism projects in Jordan, which will revive the Jordanian economy and contribute to its sustainable development. Qatar also announced to provide $ 500 million in the form of a soft loan in support of Lebanon during (CEDRE Conference) held in Paris. Qatar has also doubled its contribution to the Global Fund for Community Foundations to $ 10 million. In August, HH the Amir gave a package of economic projects, investments and deposits of about QR550 billion (US $ 15 billion) in support of the Turkish economy.
The financial and material support projects and initiatives, including food, medicine, fuel, relief supplies and country funding, has reached huge numbers of people in different areas of crises and disasters in Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Afghanistan, Kosovo and the state of Kerala, Republic of India, and the victims of the earthquake followed by the tsunami in the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The country assistance also included relief for the Rohingya refugees coming from Myanmar to border areas of Bangladesh.
