HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani has underlined that Qatar National Day is an important day in the memory of citizens as it reflects the values of unity between citizens and carries great significance in the hearts and minds of all citizens and residents of the country.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA) to mark the National Day celebrations, HE the prime minister said the National Day is a historic occasion of when the founder of the state Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani placed the foundation for establishing the State of Qatar.
He added that the National Day now serves as an opportunity to seek inspiration in the sacrifices offered in order to build a nation that honours the principles of freedom and sovereignty.
The prime minister congratulated His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and all citizens and residents on the occasion, expressing hope that the country continues to enjoy security and stability.
He stressed that the National Day is an important occasion that shows the strength of the bond between the citizens and the wise leadership that puts its peoples interests above all other.
He added that the National Day is a good occasion to be inspired by the wisdom of the founder as the country continues in its path of progress towards sustainable development.
It also helps reflect on his journey, which sets an example for giving the utmost to serve the country through selfless acts, particularly during this time that requires efforts to overcome crises, and continuing to provide one case study after the other in overcoming crises in all sectors.
On the achievements of the Ministry of Interior this year, the prime minister said the ministry, like other state institutions, is doing its best to provide high-quality services.
He added the ministry built on its achievements of the past few years by continuing to execute its strategy in 2020.
The ministry continued its achievements in the various security and service fields, thanks to the optimal implementation of strategies on the ground, with high professionalism and according to the development and modernisation plans based on providing human, material capabilities, devices and equipment, bearing in mind the importance of excellence and leadership.
He noted that the Ministry of Interior is overseeing a number of programmes that came out of the second National Development Strategy 2018-2022, in addition to the strategy related to the main pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030, by focusing on having a security performance that is in line with they highest standards.
He also noted the constant improvements made to the management of the ministry’s resources by adopting the most modern systems and technologies in management, in addition to the strong commitment to transparency and communication with the public.
He said that the ministry worked on expanding the services available on its website or its mobile app, whether geographically or in terms of the type and number of services, in an attempt to save the time of service seekers.
He noted that these efforts were strongly rewarded by a huge leap in terms of lowering the amount of time required to complete different services, in addition to improving the performance of the different departments offering these services.
The prime minister stressed that the Ministry of Interior remains committed to providing the best services to all segments of society in line with its strategy of offering non-centralised services to the public through various digital platforms and geographic locations.
As for the security field, he said the efforts of the ministry were reflected clearly in the low crime rates compared to international levels, particularly in terms of major crimes.
He said the achievement is even more impressive given the increase in population growth seen over the past few years.
He underlined that Qatar enjoys great security and stability, evident by its high rankings in a number of international indices dedicated to the issue.
The prime minister noted that Qatar was ranked as the highest country in the Middle East and North Africa, and 27th in the world, in the Global Peace Index 2020 which is produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace.
That is, in addition, to being ranked the safest in the world during the first half of 2020 according to Numbeos crime index.
On combating the coronavirus (Covid-19), he said this year’s National Day celebrations come at a time when Qatar and all countries around the world are engaged in a battle to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, a struggle that have impacted all countries.
He said that Qatar, from the outset, relied on highly-effective strategies that saw the state allocate all its resources to contain the pandemic and maintain the safety of everyone living in the country.
He added the Ministry of Interior assumed its responsibilities in enhancing the efforts of protecting society and containing the virus, by following up on the implementation of the Cabinet’s decision in that regard, particularly the measures related to the Ministry of Interior, in addition, to the measures announced by the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management. He noted that the Ministry of Interior fulfilled those roles, and was keen on providing the public with up-to-date information on its website, in order to avoid the spread of rumours and provide appropriate guidance regarding the measures undertaken by the state to contain the virus.
He highlighted the ministry’s efforts in encouraging the public to interact with it digitally on its website or through the Metrash2 app to help avoid crowding.
He added the ministry continues that role in a bid to contain the spread of the virus, and to maintain the health and safety of all members of society, while also reminding the public of the importance of adhering to the precautionary measures adopted in the country.
Responding to a question on the state’s success in facing different challenges, the Prime Minister said it was thanks to the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and noted that the country is moving forward towards achieving all its developmental goals.
He added the success was also a result of focusing on infrastructure projects, with the state placing a high priority on developing an infrastructure that was state-of-the-art.
He also noted that development efforts focused also on other fields like health, education, the economy, and social affairs among others, in addition to the commitment to developing capable human cadres.
He highlighted the great leaps made in the education sector, saying that the focus now is on providing quality education.
He noted that the goal was realised through the constant revision of academic curricula, acceptance policies, regulating the educational process, and sending distinguished students to continue their education abroad while also establishing prominent foreign educational institutions in Qatar.
He said development in the health sector was following a similar path to that of education, as the focus has shifted to providing comprehensive healthcare to citizens and residents by developing the infrastructure, and providing technologies that are necessary to provide good healthcare services, along with developing the human cadres in the required specialisations.
The prime minister noted that the development in the healthcare field was also a result of the focus on inaugurating many health facilities and institutions that reflect the aspirations of the state in the field.
On the economy, he said that work is ongoing to encourage local investments, protect national products, and increasing production in order to reach self sufficiency in food and water security and satisfying the needs for medicine.
He added there was also ongoing work to improve the business climate in Qatar and increase tourism, noting that these sectors have become more competitive and more capable of attracting local and international investments.
On foreign policy and enhancing ties with the international community, the prime minister stressed that the state’s foreign policy was characterised by independence and flexibility as it looked to serve national interests and protect the country’s sovereignty.
He stressed that the state will continue to work on enhancing ties with other friendly countries to establish peace and security both regionally and internationally, particularly when it pertains to facing terrorism and fighting extremism.
He also highlighted that Qatar’s belief in settling conflicts peacefully, and engaging with countries and international institutions to explain the Qatari point of view, something that contributed in enhancing communication between Qatar, the region, and the world.
He added that opening up to the world and engaging with it to improve ties helped build strong international relations based on mutual respect and avoiding interference in internal affairs.
HE the prime minister concluded by saying that even with all those achievements, there is a lot more to come thanks to the available expertise and capabilities capable of achieving all desired goals.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani
