Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani addresses the GCC and EU forum in Luxembourg, advocating for diplomatic solutions to regional conflicts, particularly emphasising the need to end the 200-day war in Gaza.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani participated at the high-level forum between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union on regional security in Luxembourg on Monday.
Attended by foreign ministers from Gulf and European countries, the forum focused on regional developments and de-escalation, with a special focus on ways to end the ongoing war in Gaza.
The ongoing Russian-Ukrainian crisis was also high on the agenda.
During his speech, Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, stressed that the EU and its partners must press for an end to the war in Gaza, which reached its 200th day on Monday.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza and displaced more than 80 percent of the population while creating a humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
“Qatar reaffirms its permanent position that only diplomatic means are capable of resolving differences and conflicts and ending bloodshed, and we all hope to see a just, comprehensive and lasting peace that recognises the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and puts an end to this devastating war,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
The top Qatari official also held meetings on the sidelines of the forum.
Sheikh Mohammed met Duke Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, where he conveyed the greetings of Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, according to a statement by Doha’s foreign ministry.
“The meeting dealt with discussing bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the means to enhance them in different fields, and a number of issues of joint interest,” the statement said.
Sheikh Mohammed separately met Prime Minister of Luxembourg Luc Frieden, where they discussed cooperation between Doha and Luxembourg and the means to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
“Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed, during the meeting, the State of Qatar’s grave concern over the developments in the region, calling on all parties to resort to calm and maximise restraint,” Doha’s foreign ministry said in a statement on the meeting.
Another meeting took place in the European country with Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs.
The meeting dealt with the same issues discussed in the other separate meetings in Luxembourg.
Apart from officials from Luxembourg, Sheikh Mohammed met top diplomats from the countries that participated at the forum, including Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Sweden among others.
