National Day/ French Ambassador to QNA: Qatar a Leading Regional Force; National Day Celebrations Marks World Cup

Doha, December 17 (QNA) - HE Ambassador of the French Republic to the State of Qatar Jean-Baptiste Faivre affirmed the strength of the relationship between the two friendly countries, describing Qatar as a leading force in the region. In an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the celebration of the State's National Day, HE indicated the full commitment to deepening cooperation in many fields such as education, culture, economy, and energy transition in support of QNV 2030. HE the Ambassador extended his congratulations to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and the people and government of Qatar on the occasion of the National Day, adding that "This is a very special moment for the Qatari people and residents of Qatar, including the 5,500 French, and I would like to take this opportunity to express again, on behalf of the whole community, our gratitude for the hospitality and generosity shown on a daily basis by Qatari people." He added: "This year is also a very special year for Qatar, as the national day coincides with the FIFA World Cup Final. This is the highlight of the competition, and it will give a very special dimension to the national celebration, as Qatar will share the joy of its national day with the whole world." "I wish Qatar success and I really look forward to living it together with our Qatari friends and all the football fans," Faivre said. He expressed his ambition to develop further his country's relationship and to invest in new areas of common interest, but also to build common ambitious projects which would reflect the long-term relationship between our two countries, noting that this year's celebrations also have a special significance for our two countries as we mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations between France and Qatar. The French Ambassador said that "that the slogan ‘our unity is our strength’ very much echoes the current situation at the international level many crises are appearing at the same time and the fact that we need to tackle them together has never been so obvious. Unity and solidarity are very much needed. And the more united we are, the stronger we are." His Excellency expressed his aspiration to further develop relations between Qatar and France to invest in new areas of common interest, in addition to building joint ambitious projects that would reflect the long-term relationship between the two friendly countries, ADDING that this year's celebrations are of special importance to both countries, as they celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations between Qatar and France. "Over the past few years, Qatar has emerged as a leading force in the region. So many things are happening right now under our eyes, in all areas, including infrastructures, diplomacy, culture and economy. French companies are taking an active part in this development, and I am proud of it. We are for example key actors in the transportation sector, with the construction of Lusail tram, and the energy sector, with the involvement of TotalEnergy in NFE project and Al Kheesa solar power plant," HE said while praising the Qatari-French partnership. "These last few years have also been marked by important progress in the social area: Qatar has taken very important legislative steps to improve the living and working conditions of the many workers who contributed to the development of the country. These efforts led to tangible progress, and we are pleased to hear the wish of Qatar to continue these reforms even after the world cup. We are fully committed to supporting this work. To this end, we signed a tripartite agreement with the Ministry of Labor and the ILO in March 2022," Faivre said. Concluding he said: "I am of course thinking of the health crisis that we have very recently gone through our solidarity and joint endeavors helped us to curb the pandemic and go back to normal life. I am also thinking of the current war in Ukraine, where unity is the only way to preserve our common values and the respect for the rules of international law." (QNA)