For Graciela Gómez Garcia, Ambassador of Mexico to Qatar, diplomacy is the art of building bridges to bring people together. Her experience tells her that the more one learns about other nations and cultures, the more one realises that all are but one humankind living in one planet.
A senior career diplomat, Ambassador Graciela Gómez joined her duties in Qatar in August last year. She aspires to be one of the best female ambassadors for her country. Community spoke to the ambassador at length about her life, career and vision.
Please tell us about your journey briefly.
I was born in Mexico City and when I was 3, my family moved to Venezuela. I grew up there in a very diverse community surrounded by kids from different nationalities, cultures and religious backgrounds. From an early age, I dreamt of learning languages and travelling the world. In my first visit to New York, as a teenager, I visited the United Nations and was so inspired that I promised myself that one day I would be working there. At age 23, I joined the Mexican Foreign Service and since then I have had the honour to live and serve in five countries and on four continents.
On a personal level, I have been married to my husband for 22 years and we have four children together. I love being a wife, mother and diplomat. My family is my inspiration to try to build a better world.
How do you best define diplomacy? What are its basic tenets?
For me, diplomacy is the art of building bridges to bring people together. My personal experience is that the more one learns about other nations and cultures, the more one realises that we are one humankind living on one planet that is our common home.
Diplomacy is about nations working together for the common good and about solving our differences through dialogue and negotiation. A good diplomat has to be well informed about what is going on in the world and must develop excellent communication skills. Being a good listener is an art that one has to cultivate and in my experience, empathy is equally important. You cannot succeed in this career if you don’t care about people, as human beings are at the centre of our vocation. Finally, a diplomat has to be fully committed as this is a profession that takes over your whole life.
What has been your most challenging career assignment? What are other highlights of your career?
I have been privileged to have a career that has allowed me to explore the whole scope of diplomatic work: consular, multilateral and bilateral. All of my assignments have posed important challenges but have been equally rewarding.
One of the highlights of my career was the first time I addressed a meeting of the United Nations in Vienna, and felt the unique responsibility of being the face and the voice of my country. My biggest challenge came on another occasion as I was heading the Mexican delegation at a regional conference in Costa Rica and I got informed that my grandmother had just passed away in Mexico. I was heartbroken but I had to comply with my schedule and attend various meetings before I could finally retire to my hotel room and cry.
What is your take on Qatar-Mexico relations? How many expats from your country are living here and what professions are they in?
On June 30, Qatar and Mexico celebrated the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations. We have great achievements that make us proud but there is ample room to deepen our relationship and design our vision for the decades to come. I believe that talent is one of the best commodities that Mexico and Qatar can exchange. In addition to trade, I see plenty of opportunity for joint projects in areas such as agricultural production in arid zones, food security, and clean energy to name a few.
We have nearly 600 Mexican nationals residing in Qatar. They are pilots, cabin crew, engineers, executives, entrepreneurs, business owners, football players, artists, hospitality and service workers, students, homemakers and professionals in different fields. They constitute a tightknit community and I am very proud of their achievements.
Where does the bilateral trade currently stand and what are the potential areas for investment? In which areas Qatar can benefit from your country and vice versa?
Bilateral trade has been growing steadily. In 2019, the value of our exchange reached US$ 134.7 million, an increase of 60% over the previous year, following on from a growth of 33% in 2018. We are committed to explore further opportunities in agro alimentary products particularly in those with more added value.
In addition to investments in energy, we see potential in infrastructure, tourism, transportation, telecommunications and services. In order to achieve our vision we are encouraging closer contact and interaction between our business communities.
What do you do in your leisure? What kind of books do you read, films you watch, and music you listen to?
My favourite subjects are science and history. I love novels about historical events and international thrillers and I always appreciate a good recommendation to discover new authors. I truly enjoy watching historical films and I prefer movies over series as I inevitably end up watching too many episodes in one go.
I am always listening to classical music as I find it ideal to think and write. In my free time, I have very eclectic tastes; I listen to a bit of everything and I love dancing to Latin music. As a hobby, I enjoy cooking as it is creative, relaxing and highly rewarding.
How would you describe your experience of living in Qatar? What places do you venture out the most?
My family and I arrived in Qatar late August 2019 and from the beginning we felt very welcomed. I found Qatari people to be very friendly and warm. The first six months I was very busy and then coronavirus happened, so sadly I haven’t really explored much of this beautiful country yet.
In Doha, my favourite places are Katara Cultural Village and the Souq Waqif. I have become Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s biggest fan. Every week you can find me at the venues where it performs, whether it is the Opera House, the National Library or at the Qatar National Convention Centre.
What piece of advice you will give to a budding diplomat?
You have to love diplomacy, totally and unconditionally. Being a diplomat is a lifetime commitment. This career absorbs your private life and also that of your family. Your partner and your children’s lives will be determined by it. It brings immense satisfaction and provides you with unique opportunities but it also implies long periods far from home, friends and family. Personally, I never looked back and I cannot think of a bigger privilege than representing my country abroad.
What is that one lesson in life that has always held you in good stead?
One of my biggest lessons is to plan ahead and always be prepared for all kinds of scenarios. In diplomacy, you will constantly face circumstances that are full of uncertainty and whose outcome may be beyond your control. I am convinced that you will always be better equipped and more likely to succeed when you anticipate and design strategies for numerous situations. A corollary of this lesson is that it is always better to prevent a crisis than to manage one.
What are your future plans, especially after retirement?
Professionally, I want to be the best leader for my team, and to keep learning from the people I admire the most. I want to be one of the best female ambassadors for my country, and to contribute to create better conditions for young women who want to be successful in diplomacy.
At a personal level, I want to empower my children to pursue their dreams and to be happy with the paths they choose in life. When I retire, I see myself settling down with my husband in a small place by the seaside, dancing, writing and travelling the world.
‘Very proud of the way Qatar handled Covid-19 situation’
The coronavirus pandemic is probably the worst crisis that has afflicted humankind in the modern era. No country was prepared for its magnitude but I am very proud of the way Qatar authorities have handled the situation.
They took containment measures early on, which allowed Qatar to delay the peak of infections. They also invested in intensive and targeted testing which resulted in early detection and effective treatment, and they introduced technology tools to trace contacts and prevent contagions. This strategy has been successful and explains that Qatar has one of the lowest mortality rates around the world.
In the international co-operation arena, Qatar has assisted several countries, pledged generously to international organisations and I am very grateful because last month, Qatar announced a donation of $200,000 for medical equipment to support Mexico’s efforts against Covid-19.
From the beginning of the crisis, the embassy has been translating into Spanish all the official directives to keep Mexican expatriates informed. We also published messages and videos calling our nationals to stay at home and now we are inviting them to keep the sanitary precautions in the reopening phase. The authorities did their part and we have to do ours. Together we will succeed against the virus.
My personal experience is that the more one learns about other nations and cultures, the more one realises that we are one humankind living on one planet that is our common home u2014 Ambassador of Mexico
