*Qatar signs a raft of agreements
*Guinea and African Union back Kuwaiti mediation in Gulf crisis
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani held wide-ranging talks with the leaders of Ivory Coast and Guinea and witnessed the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding on Friday, as part of his six-nation West African tour.
The Emir arrived in Ivory Coast capital Abidjan Friday afternoon from Conakry in Guinea. Upon arrival in Abidjan the Emir and the accompanying delegation were welcomed at Abidjan International Airport by Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani holding talks with President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast in Abidjan.
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani being welcomed by tribal leaders upon arrival in Abidjan.
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al -Thani, and President Alassane Ouattara of the Republic of Ivory Coast, held an official session of talks, at the Presidential Palace on Friday evening.
At the beginning of the session, President Alassane Ouattara welcomed His Highness the Emir and his accompanying delegation, lauding the first visit of His Highness to Ivory Coast, pointing out its great importance to both countries. The president stressed that Ivory Coast is counting on advancing cooperation between the two countries in various fields to achieve the aspirations of the two friendly peoples.
President Alassane Ouattara said that the position of the Ivory Coast towards the Gulf crisis is fully consistent with the position of the African Union, which supports its solution through dialogue and diplomatic means.
On his part, His Highness the Emir expressed his thanks to the president and the people of Ivory Coast for their warm reception and hospitality. His Highness the Emir stressed the importance of this visit in strengthening relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Ivory Coast at various levels for the interests of the two sides.
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast witness the signing of an agreement.
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast witness the signing of an agreement.
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani holding talks with President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast in Abidjan.
During the meeting, they discussed ways to deepen and develop the relations between the two countries and the prospects for cooperation between them, especially in the fields of energy, infrastructure, tourism and the promotion of investment opportunities at the private sector level. The two sides also discussed the latest developments on the regional and international arenas. The meeting was attended by the official delegation accompanying His Highness the Emir. On the Ivory Coast side, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly and a number of ministers and senior officials attended the meetings.
In the morning, His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani held talks with the President of Guinea Alpha Conde, and witnessed the signing of a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding at Sheraton Hotel in capital Conakry.
President Alpha Conde welcomed the Emir and the accompanying delegation, thanking him for visiting his country.
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and President of Guinea Alpha Conde witness the signing of an agreement at the Sheraton Hotel in Conakry.
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and President of Guinea Alpha Conde witness the signing of an agreement at the Sheraton Hotel in Conakry.
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani being seen off by President of Guinea Alpha Conde at Conakry International Airport.
He stressed the importance of this visit in strengthening relations between Qatar and Guinea, and expressed the desire of the Guinea to expand relations with Qatar in various fields.
For his part, the Emir thanked the President Conde and the Guinean people for their hospitality, and hoped that his first visit to Guinea would enhance co-operation and friendship between the two countries.
The talks dealt with bilateral relations and ways to develop co-operation, especially in the areas of energy, economy, investment and food security, as well as expanding partnership in other fields.
Both sides discussed the current regional and international developments and the danger posed by terrorism and extremism to the region and to the world. They affirmed the two countries' steadfast stance in combating this dangerous phenomena which undermines the security of the region and the world.
The talks also dealt with the economic, social and developmental challenges faced by some African countries.
The Emir stressed the continued support of Qatar to a number of African countries, especially in the fields of development, health and education.
Regarding the Gulf crisis, the president of Guinea, who is also the president of the African Union, affirmed that the Union's position is to support the Kuwaiti mediation to resolve the crisis through dialogue.
The Emir thanked the Guinean president in particular and the African Union in general for their position on the current Gulf crisis.
The meeting was attended by the members of the official delegation accompanying the Emir and ministers and senior officials from the Guinean side.
Following the talks, the Emir and President Conde witnessed the signing of the following agreements and memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between Qatar and Guinea at the Sheraton Conakry:
* An agreement on the encouragement and protection of investments
* A maritime transport agreement
* An MoU between Qatar Ports Management Company (Mawani Qatar) and Port of Conakry
* An MoU in the field of youth
* An MoU in the field of culture
* An MoU in the sports field
* An MoU in food security.
The signing ceremony was attended by members of the official delegation accompanying the Emir, and ministers and ranking officials in Guinea.
Following the agreement signing ceremony, the Emir attended a luncheon banquet hosted by President Alpha Conde at the Sheraton Hotel in Conakry.
The banquet was attended by several ministers and senior officials from the Guinean side.
Later in the afternoon, the Emir left Conakry concluding his official visit to the Republic of Guinea.
Bidding the Emir farewell upon departure from Conakry International Airport was President Alfa Conde, Prime Minister of Guinea Mamady Youla and a number of ministers and ranking officials, besides Qatar's ambassador to Guinea Saree Ali al-Qahtani and heads of diplomatic missions.
The Emir sent a cable to President Alfa Conde thanking him for the welcome accorded to him and the accompanying delegation and for providing an opportunity to exchange views on regional and international issues of joint interest, in addition to enhancing bilateral relations and co-operation.
