Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Concludes Successful Tour of Australia and New Zealand

Doha: HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani concluded Thursday a successful tour that included Australia and New Zealand, where HE held meetings with the Prime Ministers and several ministers of both countries, discussing means to develop and enhance cooperation in various fields. The meetings also addressed regional and international issues of common concern, particularly the developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories. In Canberra, HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs met separately with HE Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese, HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles and HE Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong. During the meetings, they reviewed the cooperation relations between the two countries and discussed ways to support and enhance them at the defense level and in the areas of economy, mutual investment, energy, aviation, trade, clean energy, and technology. Th e meetings also discussed several regional and international issues, particularly the developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, mediation efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Strip and the release of prisoners and detainees, and ways to reduce tensions in the Middle East to enhance regional and international security and stability, as well as the latest developments in Afghanistan. HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his meeting with the Australian Prime Minister, expressed the State of Qatar's appreciation for Australia's positions in supporting regional and international efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability in the region. Meanwhile, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense of Australia expressed his country's appreciation for the State of Qatar's support of regional and international efforts to achieve security and stability in the Middle East. HE the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, in turn, expresse d her country's support for mediation efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. She also thanked the State of Qatar for its efforts in repatriating Australian citizens stranded during the COVID-19 pandemic via Qatar Airways, in addition to its role in evacuating Australians from Afghanistan and the Gaza Strip. In Wellington, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs met separately with HE Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon, HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and HE Minister for Trade and Export Growth and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs Todd McClay. During the meetings, the relations between the two countries and ways to support and develop them, economic cooperation, investment opportunities in the aviation, energy and investment sectors, cooperation in the fields of clean energy, technology research and international development, and enhancing trade exchange were reviewed. The meetings also discussed the developm ents in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, especially the humanitarian situation in the Strip, and the State of Qatar's mediation efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Source: Qatar News Agency