National Day/ Japan's Ambassador to QNA: Qatar's National Day Celebrations Getting Further Impressive Amid World Cup Hosting

Doha, December 15 (QNA) - HE ambassador of Japan to the State of Qatar Satoshi Maeda hailed Thursday Qatar's National Day celebrations, which fall on Dec. 18, as abounding with the spirit of achievement, particularly amid its great and impressive FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 hosting. In a special statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of the National Day, His Excellency said that the State of Qatar celebrates its National Day, coinciding with the final match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, after a wonderful organization that exceeded all expectations after nearly 12-year preparation. On this occasion, His Excellency extended his sincere congratulations to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the esteemed government, the Qatari people and residents in Qatar. His Excellency hailed Doha as the most magnificent and beautiful city he has ever seen, particularly amid the World Cup-associated events and activities. "I came to Qatar in October of last year, so I’ve been living in Doha for one year now, and I have to admit that I’ve never seen the city look so dazzling and beautiful as it has been since the start of the World Cup," His Excellency said. "Festivities are everywhere. People are celebrating the win of their teams, enjoying their time in and around the stadiums and the fan zones, and having opportunities to talk with other people who have quite different cultural backgrounds. The state-of-the-art stadiums, the excellent transportation network, and the various cultural experiences have also captured the attention and hearts of the fans who have come to support their teams," His Excellency added. His Excellency hailed the selection of "Our Unity is the Source of Our Strength" as a slogan of the National Day celebrations at a time when Qatar is welcoming all peoples on its soil. Qatar has held the biggest celebration of football, one of the most popular sports in the world, sharing its strong message that shows Qatar’s as well as the region's deep desire and commitment to achieve unity, inclusiveness, peace, stability, and sustainability, His Excellency added. Commenting on the Japanese team's performance in the championship, His Excellency said: "The excellent performance of the Japanese National Team made this tournament even more memorable for me, and for the Japanese fans who came here to support our national team. I believe their whole experience in Doha was unique and memorable, as the Qatari and Arabic culture is very different from that of Japan. "Japanese fans also won the hearts of people around the world by sharing their good behavior of cleaning the stadiums after the matches. So I believe they not only enjoyed coming to Doha but also could experience a meaningful cultural exchange". Commenting on the well established Qatari and Japanese relations, His Excellency said: "We share with Qatar a long history that began almost immediately after the State’s independence in 1971, as Japan was one of the first few countries to establish diplomatic relations with Qatar at the time. And over the last five decades, Japan has been enjoying good relations with Qatar based on friendship and trust". "It’s true that the economic exchanges have been the backbone of our relation for more than five decades, but thanks to the strong political will of the two countries and under the comprehensive partnership based on our cooperative relationship, solid foundations for bilateral cooperation have also been established and it continues to prosper in various fields not only in the economic field but also in the cultural, technical, scientific, defense and security fields," His Excellency said. "Japanese companies have been contributing toward developing and producing LNG in Qatar, as the stable supply of LNG and oil from Qatar has supported Japan's economic growth," the ambassador added. Highlighting the Qatar-Japan cooperation regarding the World Cup hosting, His Excellency said, "At the same time, since Qatar was announced as the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Japanese companies have been contributing greatly to the construction of mega infrastructural projects in Qatar such as Hamad International Airport and the Doha Metro, which has served as the main transportation system for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". The Japanese ambassador also highlighted joint declaration to establish a "strategic dialogue" chaired by the foreign ministers of both countries upon the visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani to Japan in January 2019. "The First Japan – Qatar Strategic Dialogue" was held on Aug. 23, 2021 in Qatar. Furthermore, during the same visit a memorandum of cooperation was signed in the fields of economy, commerce, transportation, environment, legal affairs, culture and sports," His Excellency pointed out. Japan is also supporting "Qatar National Vision 2030" by both of the public and private sectors. The national vision, which emphasizes industrial diversification and human resource development, demonstrates HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's strong leadership and clear vision and we are keen to support it, His Excellency said. His Excellency added:" As the movement toward the realization of a green society is accelerating throughout the world, it is important that both countries expand their cooperation in the areas of energy conservation and clean energy including hydrogen and ammonia, while utilizing LNG, which has a relatively low impact on the environment". I am very pleased that the Japanese companies are participating in the first solar power generation project in Qatar, as a symbol of the cooperation in new fields between our two countries. At the same time, we would like to expand our cooperation including in the fields of human resource development, and the social and environmental development, with the goal of achieving "Qatar National Vision 2030", His Excellency concluded. (QNA)