CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar / Government

Qatar reiterates support to Palestinians' rights to recover their occupied lands

Published: 17 Nov 2021 - 08:51 am | Last Updated: 17 Nov 2021 - 08:51 am
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi attending UNRWA ministerial conference in Brussels, yesterday.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi attending UNRWA ministerial conference in Brussels, yesterday.

QNA

Brussels: The State of Qatar participated yesterday in the international ministerial conference on United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Brussels.

Qatar was represented at the conference by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi.

In  Qatar’s speech, His Excellency said that the conference represents another occasion to confirm Qatar’s firm stance towards the justice of the Palestinian cause, the rights of the Palestinian people to recover their occupied lands and the right to return and to live in safety and peace, under an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders.

The minister added that from this standpoint, Qatar and the responsible international community stand by UNRWA and respond to provide the necessary resources to serve Palestinian refugees and provide the most basic necessities of human life, at home and abroad. 

In this context, the minister expressed Qatar’s appreciation for the UN decision in December 2019 to extend the mandate of UNRWA, and its appreciation for the US administration’s decision to return its support to the agency’s budget starting this year.

He said that it is a matter of pride that Qatar is the first Arab state to support UNRWA’s resources, and to be a member of its advisory board, as it has provided more than $100m in support in the past five years.

Based on the firm position of Qatar in standing by the brotherly Palestinian people, His Excellency announced that the Director General of Qatar Fund for Development and the Commissioner-General of UNRWA signed a support agreement in November in the amount of $25 million as a multi-year contribution to support the UNRWA’s core resources, in addition to other projects in the health, education and other sectors.

The minister renewed his thanks and appreciation to all participants in the conference, and the efforts made to support UNRWA.