With Qatar standing as a sports capital with its hosting of major events, namely the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, it has attracted countries in expanding their ties in the sector with the Gulf nation.
Fiji’s non-resident Ambassador to Qatar, Siddiq Koya, began his tenure last week with a commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and exploring opportunities to facilitate direct travel between the two countries.
“Qatar and Fiji Islands, even before 2010, have had a very good relationship. The rapport and the understanding has obviously officially strengthened since 2010. So we’re in talks about possibly looking at codeshare at this stage,” he told Doha News.
Koya spoke to Doha News after submitting his credentials to Qatar’s Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani last week. Filled with enthusiasm over his new position, Koya spoke of broader plans to further enhance Qatar and Fiji’s relations, particularly in tourism.
“We’re in very cordial understanding with both of our aviation ministries and we’re on the verge of finalising some understanding and agreements,” he revealed.
Currently, there are no direct flights between Qatar and Fiji with layovers often required in New Zealand or Melbourne. However, Koya hopes to ease travel between the two destinations.
“We want the Qataris to be comfortable to have this visa friendly exercise, whereby Qataris can arrive in Fiji and have their visas on arrival without the hassle of going through our embassies here in Abu Dhabi or in other places,” Koya said.
Tourism plays a key role in Fiji’s economy, making up 40 percent of its gross domestic product, creating jobs and contributing to its infrastructure development. In 2023, Fiji welcomed 929,740 travellers, showing a promising post-pandemic recovery.
Koya described Fiji as “the gateway to paradise”, with its tropical landscape and pristine beaches with “crystal clear waters” as well as its wide range of resorts that offer the chance for relaxation—far from bustling cities.
“We’re asking with open arms for all Qataris to come and visit our nation and see what the gateway of paradise is all about,” Koya said.
With tourism not complete without a fun culinary experience, Koya pointed to Fiji’s offering the world’s “best seafood”.
“The Qataris must go and taste our seafood and our fruits and the warmth of our people to realise that, in that part of the world, there is a sense of taste of heaven,” he added.
Beyond its vibrant scenery, a factor that makes Fiji stand out is its international dateline that marks the first sunrise in the world.
“We are blessed by the fact that there’s an international dateline that goes through Fiji. So the first athan in the world, the first dawn in the world is in Fiji. The first day of Ramadan starts in Fiji for the Christians, the first Christmas Eve and the first Christmas Day starts from Fiji,” Koya explained.
“We would like to share that with the people here, in Qatar, to experience that beauty.”
Connection through sports
With Qatar standing as a sports capital with its hosting of major events, namely the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, it has attracted countries in expanding their ties in the sector with the Gulf nation.
While speaking about Fiji’s success in rugby, he mentioned that there is an interest by Qatar’s rugby entities in establishing connections with his homeland’s bodies.
“Qatar’s rugby authorities are willing to talk to us and the Fiji Rugby Union as well has given me the opportunity and authority to have our ex former players and expert players to advertise and promote the game here as well,” he said.
Looking at the broader role of sports relations between countries, Koya noted that it is another way to enhance people-to-people relations in addition to diplomatic ties.
“In conjunction with tourism and this sport, I think these are very exciting times for Fiji and the Qataris to show the world how two nations living far apart are close in harmony, with love and affection,” the ambassador explained.
