Doha: Qatar has participated in the fourth Conference of OIC on Mediation under the theme: Experiences and Prospects, which was held in Jeddah, city of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Counterterrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution H E Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani led the delegation of Qatar. During his participation on Sunday as a keynote speaker in first session of the conference, Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani addressed the role of Qatar in mediation and its experiences in Yemen, Lebanon, Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Afghanistan, and currently in Chad.
He stressed that mediation has become a strategic option for Qatar and is considered a fundamental cornerstone and one of key pillars of its foreign policy, pointing out that there are no fixed rules for mediation, but rather underpinning foundations, and most importantly: the consent of the parties, impartiality, consistency, confidentiality, independence, transparency, and observance of international law and the United Nations Charter.
He indicated that cultural sensitivity in mediation is an extremely vital issue that shall be taken into account before and when engaging as a mediator in any conflict.
Dr. Al Qahtani explained that Qatar works through regional and international partnerships on coherence, coordination and integration of the mediation efforts and diplomatic efforts, calling on the OIC and its Secretary-General to play a substantial role in addressing the crises that afflict OIC member states and fall within their geographical scope.
“It is well known to anyone that we live in a region in a state of semi-permanent tension and fall between competing and sometimes antagonistic forces,” Dr. Al Qahtani said.
He pointed out that Qatar does not believe in military options, but in soft power, preventive diplomacy and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means through good offices and mediation. He stated that Qatar’s mediation experience spanned more than 25 years, during which it gained a prestigious reputation and accumulated experience in dealing with crises and conflicts on the regional and international arenas.
“Most of our experiences have passed through serious challenges, great complications, and sometimes indirect obstacles, which Qatar has been able to overcome in various means, most importantly through working with our regional and international partners and countries in the region.” He asserted that Qatar is ready to work with everyone in order to achieve security and stability in the region through mediation and good efforts.
