As Dialogue Partner… Qatar’s SCO Membership Represents New Gain for the International Organisation

The State of Qatar attaches great importance to international and regional cooperation, based on its keenness to contribute to achieving global security and peace, support the dialogue of civilizations, and contribute to cultural communication between the world's various countries and people. From this standpoint, Qatar joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a Dialogue Partner in 2023 - (the State of Qatar signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Sept. 14, 2022 to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a Dialogue Partner. The Cabinet, in its regular meeting held on March 1, 2023, agreed to take the necessary measures to ratify the aforementioned MoU). Becoming an official member of SCO represents a new step in the framework of the State of Qatar's endeavor to establish balanced relations with various influential regional and international powers and organizations in the world. Qatar's continuation of playing its role as an active and responsible member of the international community, con tributes to establishing peace and security through political and economic initiatives and development and humanitarian aid. The State of Qatar's acquisition of the status of dialogue partner and full membership in the future will increase the attractiveness of SCO for non-member countries, due to the country's good reputation as a reliable partner that fulfills its economic and commercial obligations, and as an honest mediator in regional and international disputes and conflicts. As international conflicts and geopolitical tensions grow around the globe, an honest and globally-trusted mediator is needed, which is where the role of Qatar comes as a leading diplomatic force in resolving conflicts and settling international disputes. Doha has become on of the most significant actors on the international and regional arenas in using preventive diplomacy and mediation as an effective tool in reserving many international crises, which makes the State of Qatar an asset to any regional and international organizati on. During the past years, the State of Qatar joined several regional and international organizations, and established distinguished relations with other international organizations, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), with which Qatar is considered one of the first countries to establish close practical relations, through the Istanbul Initiative, which was announced at the NATO summit in June 2004, in Turkey. The Istanbul Initiative was created for the purpose of bilateral security cooperation, which includes providing consultations in the defense fields, encouraging military cooperation and combating terrorism through the exchange of information and maritime cooperation, as well as encouraging cooperation in the field of border security. Represented by the Ministry of Defense, the State of Qatar signed a security agreement with NATO in 2018 at the organization's headquarters in Brussels. This security agreement provides a framework to protect the exchange of information, as determined by all member countries. In 2014, the State of Qatar joined the African Union as an observer member. Since then, cooperation between the two sides has strengthened in the security and social fields, as the State of Qatar has provided various types of support to the African Union over the past years. In 2019, HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani directed the establishment of a fund sponsored by the African Union to cover the costs of evacuating irregular African migrants in Libya to their countries and reintegrating them into their communities, to which the State of Qatar has contributed an amount of USD 20 million. The State of Qatar continued its efforts - through preventive diplomacy and mediation in resolving conflicts, in creating and building peace in Africa, in accordance with the priorities of the African Union initiative related to Silencing the Guns. Qatar's mediation efforts included Sudan, Chad, Somalia, and the border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea, in addition to its humanitarian and development efforts in many African countries. In August 2022, the State of Qatar signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on the sidelines of its 55th session's opening in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. Qatar's signing of TAC comes from the common will and aspiration to create a safe and stable region for societies to achieve sustainable economic development and common prosperity, as well as to create a common unity among peoples based on diversity and acceptance of others. The State of Qatar's relations with the ASEAN countries are of utmost importance in consolidating the bonds of cooperation in various fields, supporting all efforts to enhance regional and international peace and security, and paying attention to developing relations and joint cooperation with the Asian continent in general, and with ASEAN in particular. In addition to its political role, Qatar's strategy for international cooperation is based on implementing the goal of promoting economic and social development in low-income countries, supporting the global partnership for development to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality, and promoting economic development and environmental sustainability, by providing aid to less developed countries in Africa, Asia or South America, through regional and international organizations. Qatar's strategy also provided special support for the least developed countries in order to help them achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The State of Qatar's driving force is derived from its deep-rooted civilizational and cultural heritage. It is an active member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and regional organizations whose role is to protect human rights and are concerned with consolidating economic, political, or cultural relations, such as the Group of 77 (G-77), China, and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Qatar works as a bridge of understanding and cooper ation through its diverse representation in these global entities, to achieve security, peace and development for the peoples of the region. The State of Qatar also supports the pioneering role played by the UN organizations and international institutions in the fields of development and humanitarian aid. Given that it is the sixth largest global donor to the UN, Qatar provides annual support to the UN Development Program (UNDP), UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Over the past years, the State of Qatar has significantly expanded its international aid program, by providing government donations in addition to those provided by Qatari charitable institutions. From 2012 until June 2019, the State of Qatar provided aid worth USD 6.75 billion to more than 100 countries around the globe. SCO, an international political, economic and security organisation, was established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai, China. Its membership includes nine countries: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan and Iran. The organisation's objectives revolve around enhancing policies of mutual trust and good neighborliness among member states, combating terrorism and crime, strengthening security, cooperating in the political, commercial, economic, scientific, technical and cultural fields as well as transport, education, energy, tourism and environmental protection, and providing peace, security and stability in the region. The organisation created the position of 'dialogue partner' in 2008. The term is applied to a country or organization that shares its goals and principles with SCO and wishes to establish partnership relations with the organization. The number of countries that hold the status of "Dialogue Partner" with the organisation has reached 14 so far, namely the State of Qatar, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, th e Maldives, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, both Belarus and Mongolia enjoy "Observer" status. Source: Qatar News Agency