* Qatar participates in NAM mid-term ministerial meeting in Azerbaijan

Qatar participated in the mid-term ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which took place by videoconference in Azerbaijan on July 13-14. Qatar was represented at the meeting by HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Murikhi.
In his speech at the meeting, al-Murikhi stressed that Qatar is making every effort to contribute to regional and world peace, and said its efforts have borne fruit in recent years to reach an agreement on peace in Afghanistan, and the Afghan peace talks that were launched in Doha last September. He added that Qatar is continuing its efforts, in cooperation with international partners, including the United Nations, to facilitate a comprehensive peace agreement that restores peace and stability in Afghanistan.
He stressed that Qatar has made a diplomatic effort to help find common ground between the Somali parties in order to achieve comprehensive national reconciliation and ensure the holding of elections, as well as its efforts to resolve differences. between Somalia and Kenya.
Regarding Palestine, al-Murikhi said that the Palestinian question still needs a just and lasting solution in accordance with the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the resolutions of international legitimacy. He stressed that the continuation of repeated Israeli attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites, in particular the Al Aqsa Mosque, is part of a policy of Judaizing Jerusalem, expanding settlements and the unjust siege of the Gaza Strip which constitutes a flagrant violation of the provisions of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy.
He stressed that Qatar has spared no effort in coordination with the United Nations and brotherly and friendly countries to facilitate the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement. He said Qatar continues to provide humanitarian and development assistance to the Palestinian people, with His Highness Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani issuing directives last May to allocate $ 500 million for the reconstruction of Gaza. .
He added that Qatar will continue to support the Palestinian people until they get their rights, ruled by an independent state based on the 1967 borders. Regarding Syria, he said that after 10 years of the Syrian crisis , Qatar continued to stress that emerging from this crisis requires a determined political process that leads to a political transition in accordance with the Geneva-1 Declaration and the full implementation of Security Council resolution 2254, and the Committee Constitution represents a step on the right track, we look forward to this committee to complete its work to realize the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people.
Regarding Yemen, the minister affirmed the firm position of Qatar to preserve the unity, sovereignty and independence of Yemen.
He called for a dialogue in Yemen based on the results of the national dialogue, the initiative of the GCC and the resolutions of the UN Security Council. He also said that Qatar was satisfied with the positive developments in Libya, in particular the ceasefire and the formation of a temporary government of national reconciliation.
He added that Qatar calls on the Libyan parties to achieve comprehensive reconciliation, to implement what has been agreed in the political, economic and security aspects, and to hold elections on the scheduled date. Al-Muraihi pointed out that this meeting was held in light of the persistence of many common global challenges, especially in the areas of climate change, terrorism, organized crime, drugs and the coronavirus pandemic ( Covid-19), which has had serious negative repercussions on all countries at various levels.
The minister said the pandemic presented an important opportunity to activate joint efforts on a global scale, in order to achieve the recovery that everyone aspires to. He stressed that this can only be achieved through equitable access to vaccines. He noted that Qatar has supported GAVI with $ 130 million and the World Health Organization to provide vaccines to the most vulnerable segments.
He stressed that Qatar will host the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries next January, saying this represents a good opportunity to show the importance of international cooperation in this regard. The minister also underlined that Qatar is working to provide its contribution of 100 million to help small island developing states and least developed countries meet the challenges of climate change and the environment.
Al-Muraihi underlined that Qatar is an active partner, at regional and international levels, in the fight against terrorism. He noted that there were two UN counterterrorism offices that opened in Doha recently.