Qatar's ambassador to Kazakhstan Abdullah bin Hussein al-Jaber has emphasised Qatar's commitment to strengthening its relations with Asia, particularly through successful co-operation with influential organisations.
He noted that Qatar was among the first Arab countries to obtain the status of "Dialogue Partner" in the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO).
In a statement to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), the envoy said that Qatar also enhanced its position in the region through successful co-operation with the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, and the Asia Co-operation Dialogue.
He said that in September 2022, Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to join the SCO as a Dialogue Partner during the organisation's summit in Uzbekistan.
Al-Jaber noted that this status is a preliminary step before granting full membership.
He said that, as a Dialogue Partner, Qatar can attend open meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the SCO member states and meetings of the heads of government of the member states.
However, a Dialogue Partner does not have the right to participate in preparing and signing the organisation's approved documents.
Al-Jaber said that Qatar is just getting started with the process of gaining full membership in the organisation.
The SCO's main aims, the envoy said, are to build mutual trust, friendship, good neighbourliness, and multifaceted co-operation to maintain and strengthen regional peace, security, and stability, address emerging challenges and threats collectively, and promote effective co-operation in various fields, in addition to enhancing economic growth as well as social and cultural development.
Al-Jaber highlighted Qatar's regional and international role, saying that Qatar is a key player both regionally and internationally in mediation and goodwill efforts.
The envoy explained that Qatar's location in the Middle East, a region marked by tensions and conflicts among influential regional powers, has driven it to adopt dialogue, mediation, and preventive diplomacy as part of its foreign policy.
He added that the country has achieved significant success in finding solutions to ongoing conflicts, extending beyond the Arab region to Africa, Asia, and even Latin America, including mediating a prisoner exchange agreement between the United States and Venezuela.
Al-Jaber emphasised that Qatar's unwavering belief in soft power, international law, and neutral policy, without personal interests, has earned it a reputable international standing and credibility.
On Qatar-Kazakhstan relations, the envoy said that official relations began in 1993 with the signing of the diplomatic relations agreement.
Since then, he said, this relationship has become a strategic partnership, reflecting the strong desire of both countries' leaderships to enhance their friendly relations, as demonstrated by numerous agreements between Doha and Astana covering politics, trade, investments, security, healthcare, energy, and food.
Al-Jaber added that there are promising prospects for joint investment projects, particularly in the gas sector, with Qatar expected to invest in building a gas processing plant and constructing a gas pipeline in Kazakhstan.
The envoy also spoke on the trade volume between Qatar and Kazakhstan.
The National Statistics Office of Kazakhstan reported a fivefold increase in trade volume between the two countries from 2019-2023.