President Pahor and the Emir of Qatar on all-round deepening of cooperation between the two countries

On the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Borut Pahor met today with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The two leaders affirmed the friendly relations between the two countries, which were further deepened during President Pahor's visit to Doha in January 2016, and expressed their commitment to further strengthening ties in the political and, in particular, economic spheres. The Emir highlighted the interest of Qatari businessmen in investing in Slovenia.

President Pahor invited the Emir to pay an official visit to Slovenia and proposed that it might also involve the visit of an economic delegation, which the Emir welcomed. Both recognised the importance of relationships among people as well as cooperation in culture, science, sport and other fields. They agreed that the Emir's official visit to Slovenia would take place in the first quarter of next year.

President Pahor and Emir Al Thani shared the experiences of both countries in tackling COVID-19; Qatar has an almost 90% vaccination coverage. They also exchanged views on key international political topics. The Emir presented President Pahor with an assessment of the current situation in Afghanistan and described how Qatar had evacuated more than 60,000 refugees from Afghanistan and how it was taking care of them. Particular attention is being paid to the protection and education of Afghan children, especially girls. President Pahor expressed his admiration for the swift and effective response, while Emir Al Thani stressed that the international community's commitment is needed to resolve the situation in Afghanistan, otherwise we would all face the consequences of a deteriorating situation.

The Emir of Qatar briefed President Pahor on preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by Qatar. President Pahor told the Emir that 23 September 2021 would be the second time that Slovenia would celebrate the Day of Slovenian Sport as a national holiday, and that our country had been inspired by Qatar's experience, which had introduced a similar holiday a few years ago, which the Emir had spoken about so enthusiastically to the President during his visit to Doha.


Photo: UPRS