Doha, September 20 (QNA) - Former US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Clarke Cooper commended the State of Qatar's excellence in maintaining relations that enhance its sovereign interest, pointing out Qatar's unprecedented success in bringing various parties to the negotiating table.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Cooper emphasized the high significance of the participation of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings, which is bound to strengthen the State of Qatar's diplomatic role.
The former US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Clarke Cooper pointed out that the visit of HH the Amir to the UN is a great opportunity to meet with other leaders and discuss current issues, predicting that HH the Amir's speech to be comprehensive and address all current issues on the regional and international arenas, including issues of international security cooperation and global food security.
Former US official also said that the State of Qatar plays a significant regional role, which has been proven by the great confidence it has earned from various countries around the globe, including USA.
For a country with great aspirations to play a more prominent regional role, such as the State of Qatar, the presence itself carries a message, he continued.
Regarding the issues that will on agenda of the General Assembly this year and the role of the United Nations in finding solutions to them, Copper said that achieving Sustainable Development Goals, protecting global food security, and tackling water resource scarcity, in addition to other issues such as mass migration will be addressed, pointing the importance of UNGA, as it provides an opportunity for countries to cooperate in facing various challenges.
In response to a question about his assessment of Qatar's role in mediating international conflicts, the former US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs commended the State of Qatar's excellence in maintaining relations that enhance its sovereign interest, pointing out Qatar's unprecedented success in bringing various parties to the negotiating table.
He said that the Doha Forum has been a very creative platform that transcends other multilateral gatherings. It was a place where entities and people who might not come together saw an opportunity to do so, he explained.
He also pointed out that Doha has been able to maintain lines of communication that have proven useful to different capitals, because it can have a line of communication that Washington or London may not have. This became a recognized matter and NATO is a good example of this, as Doha had a line of communication in Afghanistan, and it took responsibility for that, he said.
For his part, Former Member of the US House of Representatives Jim Moran stressed that the State of Qatar gained great momentum and weight, explaining that it is a reliable partner to the United States and a great ally that can be depended on in many issues.
In an exclusive interview with QNA, Moran noted the importance of the State of Qatar's participation in the meetings of the General Assembly, predicting that HH the Amir will have many meetings and discussions during the State of Qatar's participation in the work of the General Assembly, given the beneficial role that Qatar plays not only in establishing peace in the Middle East, but also in providing fuel, especially liquefied natural gas.
On the most prominent issues that the United Nations General Assembly is expected to address at its meeting, the former US House of Representatives member stressed that the global economy will be the central issue, including the rise in fuel prices and its repercussions on the European and American economies, as well as the problem of inflation in light of the war in Ukraine.
He emphasized the role of the United Nations in achieving progress against the biggest challenges facing the world at the present time, stressing that it is the only organizations that includes all countries of the world.
Meanwhile, HE former US Ambassador to Doha and former President of the Qatar-US Business Council Patrick Theros affirmed that Qatar has proven itself as a key player on the global arena and in regional affairs, and has become an indispensable partner of the United States.
His Excellency said, in an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the State of Qatar has the ability to influence the region because of its successful and balanced policy, which qualified it to carry out successful mediation to end a number of conflicts in different parts of the world, pointing to its role in the success of the negotiations that took place on Afghanistan.
His Excellency added that the participation of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly comes as a dedication to the role that the State of Qatar plays globally, and its permanent presence in various international events. His Excellency expected HH Amir's speech before the General Assembly to be comprehensive, focusing on all current issues regionally and internationally.
HE also pointed out that the Qatari view of the region has not changed, and Qatar still believes in the need to find solutions to the problems in the region through dialogue and mediation.
With regard to the meetings of the 77th session of the United Nations World Assembly, he said that war in Ukraine which will undoubtedly be at the fore in the discussions of the General Assembly, in addition to the turmoil that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, high inflation and price increases, and the energy crisis.
He also stressed that the Qatari-US relations will grow and strengthen in the coming decades, explaining that the presence of an ally who has a strong understanding of what is happening on the international scene such as Qatar is very important to the US.
Regarding the United States designation of Qatar as a major non-NATO ally and its impact on the relations between the two countries, Patrick Theros said that this designation is a confirmation of something established because Qatar was and still acts as a major ally of Washington. He added that it is message to the rest of the world saying that this is Qatar and its relationship with the United States, stressing that the designation confirms to the world and the region who is Qatar and what is Qatar's relationship with the United States, and it facilitates future relations.
Patrick Theros also spoke about the great development that the State of Qatar has witnessed over the past years, saying that it was amazing and included all aspects of life, noting that the State of Qatar has made great leaps in the process of building human capital, which is shown by various indicators in the field of health and education, and even infrastructure.
For his part, Joe Macaron, a researcher at Arab Center Washington DC, said in an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency, that meetings of 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly will be an opportunity to emphasize the growing Qatari role regionally and internationally, as these meetings represent an annual opportunity for world leaders to present their visions on core global issues and meet with their counterparts to discuss these issues.
He added that the regional role of the State of Qatar has grown in recent years at the Middle Eastern level, and it has emerged through mediation in international disputes at the world level, pointing out in this context to the State of Qatar's mediation in many regional and international crises, most notably the recent Chadian reconciliation, in addition to hosting indirect talks on the Iranian nuclear agreement, the intra-Afghan dialogue, the talks between the United States and the Taliban, and its mediation before that in Sudan and Lebanon and other important files.
On whether the 77th United Nations General Assembly represents a favorable opportunity for the international community to deal with current issues, such as the Russian-Ukrainian war and the Iranian nuclear program, Joe Macaron said that the General Assembly is like a general parliament in which discussions take place, but it does not have the authority to take binding decisions.
On these issues, the main decisions are taken in the UN Security Council, he said, adding that the Council has been stalled because of the American and Russian "veto" for decades; therefore, the General Assembly has no power, except to vote on some symbolic issues, and even if it takes decisions unanimously, it does not have executive authority. Thus, it remains an opportunity to meet, discuss and exchange views, but it cannot reach major and decisive decisions, according to United Nations law, he added.
(QNA)