Advisory Council Speaker Meets NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation

15 March 2018




HE Speaker of the Advisory Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud met Thursday with a delegation from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Parliamentary Assembly, currently visiting Qatar. The delegation is co-led by HE Head of Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security Joelle Garriaud-Maylam, Member of the Senate of France and HE Head of Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group Andrea Manciulli, Member of the Italian Parliament.

The delegation comprises a number of members of national parliaments of NATO member states which are interested in foreign policy, security, defense and foreign affairs, including members from the Parliaments of Albania, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Turkey and senior officials from the international secretariat of the national assembly of NATO.

The meeting was attended by HE Spain's Ambassador to Qatar Ignacio Escobar.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed the relations between the Advisory Council and the Assembly, and ways to boost and develop them. In addition, they reviewed a number of topics of common interest.

HE the Speaker of the Advisory Council touched on the economic and legislative renaissance witnessed in the State of Qatar, the rights guaranteed by the Qatari constitution to all citizens and the State's keen interest in women rights, where he highlighted appointing four women in the Advisory Council.

His Excellency spoke about the unjust siege imposed on the State of Qatar, its violations towards global law, its disrespect to the principles of good neighborliness and the traits that should be found in the relations of the regional states such as cooperation and understanding for the sake of the people, peace and stability.

HE the Advisory Council Speaker said he looks forward to further strengthen the relations and cooperation with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, in light of the visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to the NATO recently, and in light of the agreements signed between the State of Qatar and the NATO, during the visit, regarding cooperating on military and security matters.

The delegation praised the development and progress seen in the State of Qatar in different fields, and confirmed the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's support to all the diplomatic efforts exerted to resolve the Gulf crisis.

The delegation also praised the positive development of the relations between the State of Qatar and the NATO, expressing their welcome and satisfaction with the agreement signed by the State of Qatar and NATO with the presence of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and HE NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The agreement was signed on Mar. 7 regarding the cooperation in the military and security matters, which leaps the relations between both parties to a new strategic cooperation, consolidating security and peace in the region.