At the end of joint committee meeting UAE and Qatar affirm commitment to continuing mutual consultation and coordination towards bilateral issues regional and global challenges

Doha 2nd May 2016 (WAM) -- UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said meetings of the sixth session of the UAE-Qatar joint higher ministerial committee were fruitful and successful affirming the commitment of the two countries to continue their efforts to further solidify their historic fraternal bilateral ties and coordinate joint stances on various international issues of mutual concern.

''The UAE and Qatar need to work together to take our bilateral ties into a future that is more solid and deeper'' Sheikh Abdullah said in a joint press conference with Qatari foreign minister at the conclusion of the two-day meetings of the committee in Doha.

H.H. said his talks today with His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Emir of Qatar had touched on joint co-operation in renewable energy stressing the need for harnessing huge resources to develop that co-operation in view of the low cost involved and the emergence of new innovations.

Co-operation in such a field he noted promises the possibility of broadening of relations between the two countries pointing to the series of agreements and memoranda of understanding they signed today. H.H. expressed his hope for continuous joint work towards a better and increasingly developing and beneficial ties at all levels.

He stated that there are diverse areas for joint co-operation including regular exchange of views on a variety of international matters.

Speaking about challenges facing the region the UAE minister said ''They can't be isolated from the overall challenges we are currently facing. For that the UAE and Qatar are working together under the GCC or Arab League umbrella to address them.'' Regarding Qatar's nomination for the post of director general of the UNESCO H.H. said ''Mutual support is always there whether at the bilateral level or within the GCC which issued a statement supporting the Qatari nominee.'' Turning to the latest developments in Syria Sheikh Abdullah said ''Both Doha and Abu Dhabi have issued statements regarding the situation in Syria affirming that the dispute can't be solved through statements and there is an urgent need for action given the tragic situation that requires serious action on the part of the UN Security Council and the Vienna Group.'' H.H. affirmed that challenges facing the region - including terrorism - couldn't be addressed without solving political problems in Damascus and Baghdad.

On Libya H.H. said ''The UAE and Qatar were at the forefront of countries which supported the Libyan people through the GCC or Arab League when they faced Gaddafi. We also demanded the Security Council to provide protection for the Libyan people.'' ''However we hit a snag in Libya when the international community abandoned the Libyan issue before the situation became stable as the Libyans engaged hurriedly into the political process before achieving stability and finding proper mechanisms to ensure the success of the political process.'' The UAE and Qatar H.H. underscored would continue their contacts with all stakeholders across the Libyan political spectrum to create an environment conducive for working under the umbrella of the Government of National Accord.

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