Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
Editor-in-Chief
On June 5th, the unjust blockade imposed on the State of Qatar will complete its third year. During these years, Qatar transformed the crisis into a boon, thanks to its wise leadership that managed the crisis so well, in contrary to the evil intentions of blockading countries who planned to undermine the independence and sovereignty of Qatar.
Many positive vital political, economic, cultural and social achievements were realized, enabling Qatar to overcome all difficulties and emerge much stronger and influential in the international arena, thanks to the plans set by the leadership.
On the political level, Qatar has been able to participate effectively in crucial international issues such as combating terrorism and extremism, supporting sustainable development projects, in addition to succeeding in settling international disputes that threatened global stability.
The most recent achievement of Qatar was the peace agreement between the USA and Afghan Taliban to end decades-long war.
The blockade did not discourage Qatar from carrying out its humanitarian duty towards friendly people in the fields of education, infrastructure, health services and job creation for youth.
On the economic level, thanks to the rational policies and clear strategic plans, which enabled the country to quickly overcome the impacts of the blockade and maintain stable growth rates. This helped Qatari economy to gain confidence of international community and global rating institutions.
The new oil and gas projects and global investments have made significant progress and earned huge financial revenues for the country.
The State smoothly transitioned to the era of knowledge economy, and encouraged the private sector to enter the production cycle. Within a short period of time, the private sector was able to meet local needs in agriculture, consumption goods, dairy production, vegetables and fruits.
The Qatari economy witnessed for the first time a focus on entrepreneurs and the transformation of all sectors of society, especially youth and women, into productive forces taking part in the overall growth.
The International Competitiveness Report confirmed that the State of Qatar is in a leading position in all societal development indicators at the regional level and has steadfastly made it one of the few countries that have applied the concept of sustainability in the right way.
On the media level, the Qatari media outlets have accomplished many feats challenging the hostile media campaign of blockading countries directed against Qatar and its people. Qatar gained global respect for dealing with the crisis.
The endeavours of the blockading countries aimed at thwarting Qatar’s hosting the World Cup 2022 were a complete failure. They were unable to stop the implementation of the World Cup projects, as Qatar completed the construction of stadiums in a record time and ahead of schedule. So, all plots of blockading countries were thwarted.
Perhaps the biggest achievement of Qatar was the great public cohesion that reflects loyalty and dedication between the people and its leader and the strong unity of citizens and residents, in the face of these irresponsible attacks.
The influence of Qatar’s soft power became clear under the coronavirus pandemic, where it recorded strong and best indicators in preparing for this pandemic and having the lowest number of deaths. Qatar also gained respect and appreciation from people across the world for its support, and transporting stranded citizens of many countries because of travel bans.
Qatar crowned these achievements by tackling the coronavirus pandemic internationally, and by providing logistical, pharmaceutical and technical assistance to more than 22 countries. The need for such aid increased due to the severe shortage of medical supplies in many countries.
This support won praise from many countries of the world, for role played by these supports in limiting the serious effects of the coronavirus.
The UN, the WHO, heads of states and foreign ministers were swift in praising Qatar for its outstanding role in mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on thousands of people across the world.
Finally, Qatar provided the international community with a vivid example of a country supporting global stability, growth and development. It is natural for Qatar to have the ability to take such initiatives, thanks to its wise foreign policy and sound planning in line with clear goals that serve interests of its people and the entire humanity.
