The State of Qatar participated in the 18th ministerial meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue, under the theme of “Sustainable Post-Pandemic Recovery”, chaired by the Kingdom of Bahrain and held on the margins of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi represented the State of Qatar in the meeting. In the State of Qatar’s remark during the meeting, His Excellency welcomed the adoption of Bahrain declaration issued under the theme of “Sustainable Post-Pandemic Recovery” and said that the State of Qatar is a model of boosting solidarity and multi-lateral action as the best way in moving forward to address challenges, as well as rebuilding and recovery. He pointed out, in this contest, that the efforts made by the State of Qatar to recover from the pandemic have not been limited to the national level, but the country has also made efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, particularly on peoples and most vulnerable and fragile communities. Dr. Al Khulaifi said despite the great diversity of the Asian nations, in terms of natural and human resources, along with their enormous economic potential, however, there are still numerous challenges that precipitate the continuation of cooperation and collective work on the part of those nations. Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the State of Qatar’s hosting of the 3rd summit of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue scheduled to be convened during the period Oct. 18-19, 2023, in recognition of the importance of this dialogue and full preparation to carry out an active role in this dialogue. He stated that the State of Qatar aspires to that summit as it represents a critical and new chapter in the progress of this regional group and a tangible contribution in forming the orientations of the alliance over the next decade. His Excellency added that the State of Qatar’s selection of the sports diplomacy slogan as the theme of the summit stems from its belief in the importance of sports as a soft power in advancing the nations and rapprochement among peoples and cultures with a sharp focus on issues related to supporting young people, development, and women as three core pillars within the framework of sports. He announced that the State of Qatar will host the business forum on the margins of the summit, pointing out that it will be the second forum to be hosted by the State of Qatar within the framework of the Asian cooperation dialogue, through which it will seek to strengthen communication between businessmen and private sector in the member states. In his remark, Dr. Al Khulaifi extended the State of Qatar’s appreciation to the Kingdom of Bahrain for its earnest efforts during its presidency of the Asian cooperation dialogue and congratulated the Islamic Republic of Iran for its upcoming presidency, expressing the State of Qatar’s usual support and cooperation to achieve these common goals. (QNA) Source: Qatar News Agency