Ambassador of Japan H E Satoshi Maeda
Doha: Ambassador of Japan to the State of Qatar H E Satoshi Maeda hailed Qatar’s National Day celebrations, which fall on December 18, as abounding with the spirit of achievement, particularly amid its great and impressive FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 hosting.
In a special statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of the National Day, Maeda said that Qatar celebrates its National Day, coinciding with the final match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, after a wonderful organisation that exceeded all expectations after nearly 12-year preparation.
He extended his sincere congratulations to H H the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the esteemed government, the Qatari people and residents in Qatar.
The envoy hailed Doha as the most magnificent and beautiful city he has ever seen, particularly amid the World Cup-associated events and activities. “I came to Qatar in October of last year, so I’ve been living in Doha for one year now, and I have to admit that I’ve never seen the city look so dazzling and beautiful as it has been since the start of the World Cup.”
“Festivities are everywhere. People are celebrating the win of their teams, enjoying their time in and around the stadiums and the fan zones, and having opportunities to talk with other people who have quite different cultural backgrounds. The state-of-the-art stadiums, the excellent transportation network, and the various cultural experiences have also captured the attention and hearts of the fans who have come to support their teams.”
The ambassador hailed the selection of “Our Unity is the Source of Our Strength” as a slogan of the National Day celebrations at a time when Qatar is welcoming all peoples on its soil. “Qatar has held the biggest celebration of football, one of the most popular sports in the world, sharing its strong message that shows Qatar’s as well as the region’s deep desire and commitment to achieve unity, inclusiveness, peace, stability, and sustainability.”
Commenting on the well established Qatari and Japanese relations, he said: “We share with Qatar a long history that began almost immediately after the States independence in 1971, as Japan was one of the first few countries to establish diplomatic relations with Qatar at the time. And over the last five decades, Japan has been enjoying good relations with Qatar based on friendship and trust.”
“Its true that the economic exchanges have been the backbone of our relation for more than five decades, but thanks to the strong political will of the two countries and under the comprehensive partnership based on our cooperative relationship, solid foundations for bilateral cooperation have also been established and it continues to prosper in various fields not only in the economic field but also in the cultural, technical, scientific, defense and security fields.”
“Japanese companies have been contributing toward developing and producing LNG in Qatar, as the stable supply of LNG and oil from Qatar has supported Japan’s economic growth,” the ambassador added.
Highlighting the Qatar-Japan cooperation regarding the World Cup hosting, Maeda said: “At the same time, since Qatar was announced as the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Japanese companies have been contributing greatly to the construction of mega infrastructure projects in Qatar such as Hamad International Airport and the Doha Metro, which has served as the main transportation system for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”
