Minister of Communications and Information Technology H E Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai and Ambassador of Japan to Qatar H E Satoshi Maeda cutting a cake during the Japan National Day celebrations held at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel, yesterday. The Director of Department of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H E Ambassador Ibrahim Fakhroo (second right) and the Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador of Eritrea to Qatar H E Ali Ibrahim Ahmed (right) during the event. Pic: Joelyn Baluyut/The Peninsula
Doha: The Japanese Embassy in Qatar hosted a National Day reception to commemorate the 63rd birthday of His Majesty Emperor Naruhito, Emperor of Japan at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort and Conventional Hotel yesterday.
Ambassador of Japan to Qatar, H E Satoshi Maeda, told The Peninsula on the sidelines of the event that the bilateral relations between his country and Qatar are “getting stronger.”
The envoy explained that 2022 was an exceptional year for Japan and Qatar as both countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations. “The celebrations spawned a yearlong series of events in both Qatar and Japan highlighting the shared history and re-affirming confidence in achieving a better future of our relations.”
The event was attended by Minister of Communications and Information Technology, H E Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai; Director of Department of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Ambassador Ibrahim Fakhroo; Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador of Eritrea to Qatar, H E Ali Ibrahim Ahmed and several diplomats and dignitaries. A cake-cutting ceremony was held to mark the celebration.
Moreover, Ambassador Maeda has also highlighted ways Japan and Qatar desire to work towards diversifying relations which were primarily based on hydrocarbon energy into multi-sectoral cooperation, encompassing new and renewable energy, culture, science and technology, security, defense, academic exchange, and human resource development.
“Both countries also agreed to collaborate on efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, which Japan hopes to achieve by 2050. I believe our relations have progressed to the point where the two countries can develop new strategic relationships beyond energy security,” he noted.
The Ambassador underscored that both countries agreed to strengthen relations not only in the energy sector but also in areas including political, economic and security avenues. He stressed that the 50-year-long friendship between his country and Qatar “has proven that borders and language differences have no bearing on the success of our relations.”
He likewise mentioned the visa waiver system for Qataris based on the pre-registration system which would take effect in April. On a separate occasion, the envoy said that the Embassy of Japan seen a noticeable rise in Qatari applicants for visas since the start of the year.
Moreover, Maeda underlined Qatar’s proactive contributions to international and regional issues such as the mediation role. “It is my strong wish to work closely with Qatar in years ahead to strengthen and further grow our strategic partnership to address both regional and global issues.”
