The Shura Council State of Qatar

HE President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hailed the State of Qatar's comprehensive development, economic prosperity and active and peace-loving foreign policy, under the wise leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Addressing the Shura Council on Wednesday, His Excellency said: "Qatar is known for its pioneering and rapidly growing economy and for its active and peace-loving foreign policy; under the stewardship of HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, your nation has made great strides. Qatar can rightly be proud of its robust economy and prosperous society".

"We admire your national program "Qatar 2030" which uniquely combines modernization and national values. I wish our Qatari friends success in accomplishing this noble mission.

HE the President praised the Shura Council's role in the process of development and modernization through "critical legislative support to ambitious reforms and oversight of major domestic processes," stressing that "Kazakhstan is making renewed efforts to embed principles of justice, rule of law, equality, and fairness in our society".

His Excellency added that "Kazakhstan and Qatar have maintained an enduring partnership that rests on strong bonds of friendship, common values and mutual support", highlighting his desire "to further deepen our cooperation across the whole bilateral spectrum given our shared interests and priorities".

"Our political dialogue is underpinned by a robust trade-economic partnership and people-to-people ties. So far we have accomplished many joint projects in various sectors of the economy including energy, mining, agriculture, construction, and tourism," HE the President added.

"We are especially eager to see partnership in this vital sector, whether it involves production, transfer of technology or expertise. With our combined efforts, we can build a strong and successful partnership that will not only benefit our respective countries but also contributes towards addressing the global energy crisis".

His Excellency added that his country sees "plenty of opportunities for Qatar to be one of the top 10 largest investors in Kazakhstan in the nearest future", spotlighting "wide-ranging prospects in oil and gas exploration" and the two sides' cooperation to "adopt the best global practices to facilitate significant geological discoveries".

Expressing his happiness with the interaction and communication between the two peoples, especially in the tourism field, which has witnessed recent growth, HE the president said that the various agreements that have been reached, as well as the multi-sector agreements will provide new momentum for the development of the strategic partnership in the coming years.

His Excellency touched on the regional and global challenges posed by crises and wars, stressing that his country and the State of Qatar can play a greater role in global peace and security, saying "at such a critical moment, our close cooperation and solidarity with Qatar is more important than ever".

His Excellency commended Qatar's "peacemaking role and mediation efforts in the numerous conflicts across the world, including in Palestine", adding "we are deeply worried by the situation in Gaza, which is growing more ominous by the hour. It is the worlds worst humanitarian catastrophe".

Appreciating Qatar's efforts to establish peace in Afghanistan and prevent humanitarian and economic deterioration in this country, HE the president said, "Kazakhstan provides assistance to Afghanistan including through the United Nations and other international organizations channels".

"We believe that this step, together with our exertions on the establishment of the UN Regional Centre on SDGs for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty, will contribute to Afghanistans further integration into global community. We hope it will also open up new opportunities for humanitarian support to the Afghan people.

"The First Central Asia + GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Summit in Jeddah last year demonstrated the aspiration of our countries to develop intraregional cooperation.

"I am confident that the results of this high level meeting will further strengthen political, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties, contribute to regional security and stability, promote people-to-people relations, and support sustainable development efforts on a global scale".

At the conclusion of his speech, HE the Kazakh president assured that "Kazakhstan will remain the trusted and reliable friend of the State of Qatar. We are destined to go forward together".

For his part, HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim welcomed HE the President, stressing that his visit to the country will contribute to strengthening strategic relations in a way that achieves the interests of the two friendly countries and peoples.

Expressing high appreciation for His Excellency's visit to the Council, HE Al Ghanim said that this honorable visit confirms keenness to deepen parliamentary relations between the two countries, strengthen means of communication and cooperation between the Shura Council and the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, coordinate and unify their positions regarding various issues of common interest, and exchange experiences between them.

The Shura Council attaches special importance to developing parliamentary relations with the Republic of Kazakhstan, HE Al Ghanim added, expressing his happiness at what these relations have reached, and hoping that they will rise to broader horizons. His Excellency also highlighted the pivotal role of the Qatari-Kazakh Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Shura Council, and its counterpart in the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in supporting joint efforts and developing parliamentary relations and bilateral cooperation between the two sides.

The two countries celebrated last year the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations, which were established on July 1, 1993, HE Al Ghanim said.

Over three decades, these relations have witnessed continuous development in various political, economic, investment and social fields, which made the State of Qatar one of Kazakhstans most important partners in the Middle East, HE the Shura Council speaker added, pointing out that the bilateral relations were strengthened through a series of mutual visits at the highest levels between them.

In light of the growing relations between the two countries over three decades in various sectors, and the endeavor to continue this partnership and take it to broader horizons, the Shura Council in the State of Qatar praises the level these relations have reached, and will continue to support the interests of the two friendly countries and peoples in coordination with the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, HE Al Ghanim added.