We all need to work hard to keep the peace, says Qatar Ambassador
“Qatar is a young nation with a young population who are working hard to develop its potential.” Nasser bin Hamad Mubarak Al-Khalifa
(Translation of this article appears in Arabic section)
The Embassy of Qatar in Canberra celebrates the National Day in the presence of a large number of guests including diplomats. Also present was the Chief of Protocol at the Foreign Affairs Department Ms Lyndall Sachs and representatives of the Heart Foundation.
Ambassador Al-Khalifa.
Qatar is a young nation with a young population who are working hard to develop its potential and working hard to co-operate with other countries for security.
Qatar and Australia have excellent relations. At the same time we have to be alert to situations which we cannot control. We need to work hard; we see what is happening and it is shameful on all of us not to feel for the people of Syria.
My message is for all of us to work as much as possible to stop the carnage in Syria and to work hard for peace in the Middle East, to stop the carnage and injustice against the Syrian people and help people develop their potential. As somebody who has studied history, it reminds me of the 1930s; honestly, I am fearful. I feel that somehow politicians all over the world have missed an opportunity. We are seeing and hearing voices of hatred. We need to work hard and not make accusations against each other or allow extremists to lead this course. We need peace, we need justice for everybody otherwise we are in for a difficult time ahead.
Heart Foundation' Speech
Heart disease has a bit impact on the people of Canberra; unfortunately it is actually the biggest killer of men and women in Australia and a lot of countries around the world. The good news is though it is preventable, we organised, earlier this year, the Walk of Nations which 17 embassies were involved with. It was really about promoting physical activity because we know if you get 30 minutes of moderate activity a day you reduce your risk of a heart event considerably. The State of Qatar was one of those embassies that walked on the day and also promoted physical activity across the community
Thank you so much for supporting the Heart Foundation in the work we do. We will make sure that we continue to promote heart health to the Canberra community. We know now the State of Qatar is supporting us in doing that and we are extremely grateful.