Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of State of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani Tuesday visited Australia on a regional trip to bolster ties and discuss most critical issues of the time.
Sheikh Mohammed met with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong and discussed bilateral relations, cooperation and ways to support and develop them in the fields of economy, trade exchange, clean energy and technology.
The two leaders also discussed a number of regional and international issues, especially developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.
“Both sides discussed the ways to reduce tension in the Middle East region in such a way as to enhance regional and international security and stability, along with discussing the latest developments in Afghanistan”, Qatar ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement after the meeting.
During the meeting, Australian Foreign Minister expressed her country’s support for the joint efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“Qatar is playing a key role in the negotiations for the ceasefire we all want to see in Gaza”, she said.
Australian Foreign Minister stressed that a ceasefire will allow for increased humanitarian access and the return of hostages. All parties must come to the table and agree this deal endorsed by the UN Security Council.
“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering there is unacceptable”, she said adding we agreed that more must be done to address the urgent humanitarian needs.
She also commended the State of Qatar’s efforts in repatriating Australian citizens stranded during the Covid-19 Pandemic via Qatar Airways, in addition to its role in evacuating Australians from Afghanistan and the Gaza Strip.
Senator Wong said that Australia and Qatar are working together to promote stability, peace and prosperity.
“Qatar is an important partner and we cooperate on regional security, trade and investment, and in the multilateral system”, she remarked.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense of Australia Richard Marles.
During the meeting, they discussed cooperation relations and ways to support and enhance them at the defense level between the two countries.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister voiced his country’s appreciation for the State of Qatar’s support for regional and international efforts aimed at achieving security and stability in the Middle East.
Later in a TV interview, Richard Marles commended the role of Qatari government to mediate an end to the catastrophe in the Middle East.
“Qatar has been doing very important work in trying to negotiate a ceasefire. We’ve certainly added our voice in support of the work that we’re doing and obviously in support of the ceasefire”, he said.
Praising the efforts of the Qatari Prime Minister, Richard Marles said that the effort that he’s doing, there’s really no more important work in the world today than what he’s doing to try and bring about peace.
