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668839
Thu, 10/05/2023 - 21:11
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https://www.oananews.org//node/668839
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Prime Minister of Grenada to QNA: Grenada Keen on Developing Relations with Qatar in Various Fields

Doha, October 05 (QNA) - HE Prime Minister, Minister for Civil Aviation, Infrastructure, and Transportation of the Republic of Grenada Dickon Mitchell stressed that his country is seeking to develop its relations with the State of Qatar in various fields, hoping that these relations will further grow for the good interest of both countries.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), he said: "My visit was primarily to sign an air services agreement between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Grenada to ensure that we have an open skies policy between our respective countries. We have both small states, and so it's important for small states to be able to collaborate and work together and to make sure that the relationships help each other, especially in the wider international community."
The Prime Minister, Minister for Civil Aviation, Infrastructure, and Transportation of Grenada praised Qatar's initiative to provide assistance to his country in training personnel in the civil aviation business, particularly air traffic controllers, airport management, airport engineering, meteorology.
His Excellency signaled that his country would support Qatar's desire to be a council member on the ICAO Council, which will be held in 2025, adding that Qatar has played a pivotal role already in the growth and development of civil aviation, not just in this part of the world, but in the world in general.
Noting the significant investment that Qatar have made in aeronautical, in civil aviation, in transportation, he said that functional cooperation will increase and it will begin to pave the way for cooperation in other areas that they can collaborate and work together.
He added that Qatar has shown that size is not destiny. It has been able to host significant world events in a very successful manner. "I think that impresses not just Latin America and the Caribbean, but the world. Its approach is one of mutual respect, one of getting to know the other countries. So I certainly think it's effective. I expect that more countries in the world will seek to establish diplomatic relations with Qatar."
He praised the State of Qatar's hosting of the Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha, saying that he learned during his visit to the Expo about a range of participants as well as interesting issues raised during the event.
He expressed his admiration of the Qatar booth in the Expo, which tackles the issue of climate change - an "issue that is significantly important to us in the Caribbean and the Grenada in particular, because we are suffering the effects of climate change." He added: "In a sense, we're paying the price for what many of the big polluters have done and the Expo clearly highlighted that over the last 50 years, the amount of carbon emissions have grown exponentially."
Qatar, Mitchell said, is leading with solutions with showing how we can be sustainable or we can address issues such as water conservation, rainwater harvesting, the use of technology to address climate change, adding "hosting the Expo 2023 Doha is a tremendous success of Qatar and it demonstrates that within the international community that despite our size we can lead on many of the important issues that relates to future growth and future development of countries."
"It is also showing that it has the ability to host significant world events and host them at the at the first class level which I think would also inspire and motivate other countries within the region and elsewhere to put their hands up to host similar events," he said. The Expo, which is being held in the area that was the fan zone for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, clearly shows the legacy impact of what they were doing, that Qatar clearly gave a lot of thought to the legacy aspects of hosting the World Cup, he added. "So I think it's been a fantastic demonstration of Qatar's leadership and ingenuity."
The Prime Minister of Grenada said that trade exchange between the two countries it isn't great. So it is one area that should be improved, adding that Qatar is known for energy exports and Grenada seeks to produce and exploit hydrocarbons, which underscores his country's need for partnership with the State of Qatar to benefit from its experience in the field of natural gas and explore investment opportunities between the two countries.
He pointed out that there are other areas of economic cooperation between Qatar and Grenada such as tourism, transportation and air services as well as following up on various opportunities available to develop trade and economic relations between the two countries.
HE Mitchell stressed that the State of Qatar provides genuine development aid to many developing countries, expressing his appreciation for Qatari aid, especially since it is not conditional or restricted as some other countries may do, as the aid, in the end, is not about the government, it's about the people who live in those countries.
He pointed out that during his visit to the State of Qatar he met with HE Minister of Transport Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, and an initial memorandum of understanding between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Grenada as well as an air services agreement between the two sides were signed, in addition to discussing tourism opportunities and encouraging travel between the Gulf states and the Caribbean region, as well as sharing some suggestions and ideas regarding this framework and the mechanism for its implementation. He expressed his hope for continued investment and trade between the two countries.
The Prime Minister of Grenada praised the tremendous development witnessed by the State of Qatar in various fields, such as: comprehensive infrastructure, the airport, Hamad Port, and many other facilities that were planned, built and managed with full efficiency and ability, expressing his deep thanks and appreciation to the Qatari community for the good hospitality and warm reception.
His Excellency concluded his interview with QNA by emphasizing: "if you have the right leadership, you could in fact transform your country ... and Qatar would be, in my view, a perfect example of that", indicating his country's aspiration to strengthen cooperative relations with the State of Qatar in a deeper and closer way. (QNA)