Qatar stresses elevated ties with Korea at national day celebration

The Qatari Embassy vowed to boost economic and cultural cooperation with Korea during its national day celebrations here last week.

Qatar’s national day, which falls on Dec. 18, commemorates the 1878 accession of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, who unified the Qatari peninsula, which borders Saudi Arabia and juts into the Persian Gulf.

Citing the vision of Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatari Ambassador Khalid Ibrahim al-Hamar said Qatar’s approach focused on cohesion and unity.

According to Al-Hamar, Qatar's significant developments in political, diplomatic, economic, sport, health, and education reflect the solidarity between the country's leaders and its people.

Highlighting elevated Qatar-Korea relations, Al-Hamar recalled the emir’s visit to Seoul in January 2019 as milestone in opening and diversifying cooperation in non-traditional areas such as smart farms, solar energy, medicine and smart grids.

Diplomatic relations between Qatar and Korea started in 1974. Qatar Embassy in Seoul was launched in 1992.

Qatar is the main supplier of liquefied natural gas to Korea, providing about 30 percent of total imports, and Al-Hamar highlighted a $20 billion deal between Qatar and Korea to build 100 LNG carriers for the Middle East country.

He stressed Qatar’s commitment to promote cultural, civilized openness globally, develop relations with regional, international organizations, stimulate international peace and security through mediation by settling disputes by peaceful means, and support development projects.

Qatar hosted this year's FIFA World Cup, allowing it to showcase its cultural identity, economic, security, and administrative abilities, as well as its tangible achievements in all fields around the world, said Al-Hamar.

Meanwhile, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Park Bo-gyoon applauded Qatar for combining sports, culture, and IT under the sports event’s slogan “Expect Amazing”

"I was deeply inspired by Qatar's incredible technology and ideas that embrace tradition and modernity, culture and art," Park said.

Recalling his visit to Qatar and meeting with his Qatari counterpart Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani, Park pledged to revitalize cultural and artistic exchanges between institutions such as museums and libraries affected by COVID-19, and strengthen communication with young generations through social media.

After hosting the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Qatar has now become the most familiar and interesting country to Koreans, according to Park.

"Young Koreans want to know about, learn about, and visit Qatar," said Park, hoping to open a new horizon for Qatar-Korea relations.

"With its long tradition and history, outstanding leaders, and rich resources, Qatar's culture is ready to capture the world's attention," Park highlighted.

A lucky draw was also held at the event, with Qatar Airways tickets to visit Qatar among the prizes.