Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ahead of his departure from Hamad International Airport after a two-day official visit to Qatar.
The year 2016 saw major milestones for Qatar, under the leadership of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in all areas ranging from domestic policies, development projects to international diplomacy.
The year witnessed implementation of fundamental reforms in the country's labour and residency laws, benefiting both the expatriate workers and the employers.
Qatar continued its support to the Syrian people, in a rare gesture, cancelled the National Day celebrations slated for December 18 in solidarity with the Syrians in the besieged Aleppo city.
Along with achieving a number of goals in health, education, transportation, infrastructure, communication, information technology, sports, aviation etc. at home, Qatar’s role in regional and global politics and decision-making remained more than constructive and decisive.
Strengthening Qatar's relations with various countries in the world, the Emir visited Russia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Argentine, and Colombia and signed bilateral agreements.
Building on Qatar's successful mediation in Darfur that led to the Darfur Peace Agreement the Emir visited North Darfur to mark the achievements made by ending the war and inaugurate the era of reconstruction and development.
In his address to the United Nations last September, the Emir called on the world to hold its commitments and responsibilities towards the key issues in the region without bias and selectivity.
On October 24, the Grandfather Emir H H Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani died at age 84. The Emir ordered three days of public mourning in the country.
Early this month, Qatar hosted the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia in a historic visit that took relations between the nations to new heights. During the visit, the Emir directed that an area inside Education City be allocated to Saudi Arabia to establish an academic project that contributes to diverse knowledge enrichment.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani visited Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and India to strengthen bilateral ties.
Qatar presented the "Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Anti-Corruption Excellence Award" in Vienna to appreciate the contribution to anti corruption efforts of the winning entities and personnel.
