Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stressed the importance of the relations between the State of Qatar and the European Union (EU), describing them as “positive.”
He stressed the keenness of the State of Qatar to develop and strengthen these relations, whether in the security, economic, or renewable energy fields.
In a joint press conference with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy H E Josep Borrell, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs pointed out that they discussed the Afghan issue at length, as he affirmed Qatar’s full commitment to support partner and allied countries, including the EU, whether concerning evacuations from Afghanistan or in providing the necessary platform for them to facilitate dialogue between them and the interim government of Afghanistan.
Sheikh Mohammed added that the State of Qatar is constantly following all developments taking place in Afghanistan urging the parties to engage in a national reconciliation dialogue that brings together the Afghans, while ensuring freedom of travel and movement, whether for Afghan citizens or foreigners in Afghanistan, stressing the importance of adhering to what was agreed upon in Doha regarding the fight against terrorism.
Also, he urged the interim government in Afghanistan to preserve the gains of the Afghan people over the past years, calling on friendly and allied countries not to isolate Afghanistan and that there should be permanent engagement in dialogue to facilitate humanitarian aid and not politicise it.
Answering a question regarding the recent executions in Afghanistan, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the unfortunate things that happened during the last period, noting that this matter is considered a retreat from work, pointing to the need to continue to engage with them and urge them to avoid such behaviour, calling on the Taliban to act as Afghanistan is a Muslim country and they must act according to this basis concerning applying laws and dealing with issues that concern women
“It is very important for Islamic countries to be a model for the Taliban to avoid mistreatment of women for example, the State of Qatar, which is a Muslim country as stipulated in its constitution and system, women constitute the majority and surpass men in terms of holding public office and higher education,” he explained.
Deputy Prime Minister indicated that the meeting also discussed the nuclear agreement with Iran, where he affirmed the position of Qatar in support of the parties’ return to negotiations with their commitment to the provisions of the nuclear agreement and that the region is free of nuclear weapons.
Regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Sheikh Mohammed made it clear that Qatar is not a mediator, as its role cannot be described as a mediator concerning the talks on the nuclear agreement with Iran, but due to its geographical location and its neighborliness with Iran, what is happening in Iran matters to the State of Qatar.
He added that Qatar will do its best to reduce the escalation between the parties (Iran, the EU countries and the US), and continue to push towards positive progress on negotiations and their resumption, and ensuring that the region is free of nuclear weapons, stressing the importance to not have a nuclear arms race in the region, which is Qatar’s goal.
