Qatari Newspapers Editorials

Doha, January 14 (QNA) - The Qatari newspapers issued on Saturday dealt with a number of important issues, including the excellent relations between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Netherland, this came on the framework of the current visit of HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra to the Country, who expressed the aspirations of his Country to continue the work with Qatar in the issues of joint interest and expanding the bilateral relations. The newspapers also dealt with Doha's hosting the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), which will be held in Doha from Jan.23 to 27, 2022, and this is the first time that this conference is held in the Arab and Middle Eastern region in the presence of heads of state and government, which reflects a great international appreciation for the role of the State of Qatar regionally and internationally. For its part, Al-Watan newspaper reviewed, in its editorial titled " Excellent Relations", the relations between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Netherland, pointing out to the statements made by HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra to Qatar News Agency (QNA), in which he affirmed that Qatar's contributions and role in the European energy security is important and vita, as it is one of the largest suppliers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the world. The newspaper also highlighted the Dutch Foreign Minister's praise for the important and active role played by the State of Qatar in the region, including the promotion of regional dialogue and mutual understanding, as he expressed his country's appreciation for the mediation efforts undertaken by Qatar in various regions, noting at the same time that the Netherlands and Qatar are partners in such efforts. For its part, Al-Raya newspaper pointed out to the preparations made to host 5th UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5). The newspaper said in its editorial titled " Qatar is International Dialogue Platform for Good of People", that the State of Qatar took the initiative to host the conference, based on its policy of effectiveness, positivity and partnership with the international community. The newspaper indicated that the conference will contribute to meeting the needs and priorities of these countries, and support their path towards achieving development in them for the next ten years, in accordance with the Doha Program of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2022-2031 (DPoA), which was adopted by consensus. The newspaper said that Doha's hosting of the conference confirms great international appreciation for Qatar's active diplomacy and balanced foreign policy, whose top priority is to strengthen cooperation and partnership with the international community to face common global challenges and crises such as Coronavirus pandemic, asylum and displacement, the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the movement of the global economy and the lack of energy and food supply chains. Al-Raya added that cross-border challenges are not limited to their people, but affect everyone, and affect more deeply the poorest, most disadvantaged, and least developed countries, which include 46 countries on the United Nations list, and are home to 880 million people, constituting 12 percent of the world's population, all of them contribute less than 2 percent of the global GDP and only about 1 percent of world trade, according to the UN statistics. For its part, Al-Sharq newspaper affirmed in its editorial titled: "International Cooperation", that the policy of the State of Qatar reflects its strong commitment to strengthening international cooperation and adhering to the principles of shared responsibility and multilateral action, which is evident in its pioneering role in providing development and relief assistance, and in its influential contributions to the promotion of international peace and security thanks to the wise vision of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. The newspaper noted that the State of Qatar attaches great importance to the strategic partnership with the United Nations, and it spares no effort in supporting and cooperating with United Nations agencies in their humanitarian efforts, pointing out to its joint cooperation with the international organization and its agencies in Afghanistan, which is witnessing a catastrophic humanitarian situation, and in the Gaza Strip in Palestine, in an effort to mitigate the effects of the blockade imposed by the occupation on the Strip, which represents a model of partnership between the two sides. The newspaper pointed out that Qatar recently provided USD12 million in humanitarian aid in the Horn of Africa, and USD 20 million in support of the "Grains from Ukraine" humanitarian program, which aims to help African countries gain access to Ukrainian food exports, as well as providing multi-year, non-earmarked core resource support to United Nations organizations, where the Qatar Fund for Development works closely with strategic partners in several United Nations agencies, including the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Al-Sharq concluded its editorial by saying that Qatar's pioneering initiatives in the humanitarian field, and the humanitarian, relief and development assistance it provides which has had a positive impact on the lives of millions of people around the world, stemming from its belief in the importance of multilateral efforts as the only way for a better future for humanity. In Turn, the English-language newspaper The Peninsula reviewed Qatar National Vision 2030, especially with regard to public parks projects and green spaces in the country, stressing that these green areas not only provide opportunities to people to adopt healthy lifestyles but also cast positive effects on environment tackling challenges of climate change. The newspapers pointed out in its editorial titled " Increasing green spaces" that measures taken by the Public Parks Department to overcome the challenge of water for irrigation are expected to increase the number of public parks and green areas manifold in coming years, indicating that the Ministry of Municipality in cooperation with Ashghal is laying pipelines of treated water along the roads for plantation. The public parks are being developed across the country following the plans of the Ministry of Municipality. The lands for building new parks in the future will also be allocated by the Ministry of Municipality in cooperation with a number of entities concerned. The public parks are expected to increase significantly in coming years. The Peninsula noted that Qatar’s ‘Plant Million Trees’ initiative has also been a great success. As many as 62 embassies participated in plantation activities held in 2022 while 2,160 school students and a number of prominent personalities and fans of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 also planted trees under it. The newspaper concluded its editorial by saying that the plantation drive will continue to achieve the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030 which aimed at increasing greeneries in Qatar to keep pace with the fast urban development of the country. (QNA)