The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Cuba organized an event in coordination with the Cuban Institute of Friendship between People, in which HE Mr. Rashid Mairza Al Mulla delivered a lecture on the history and development of Qatari-Cuban bilateral relations.
HE started his lecture with the background of the relations between the two countries, which began in 1989, based on the close friendship between the leaders of the two countries at the time, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani and the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro Ruz. He said they are based on the ties between the two countries on the basis of important history that lasted for about 22 years. He said that these relations continued because of the keenness of the leaders of the two countries, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of the country, and His Excellency President Raul Castro Ruz, to continue with great enthusiasm, as these relations are constantly moving forwards and being renewed in the field of Health, culture, education and the economic, political and social spheres. These relations are at a distinct stage, based on a smooth political dialogue of mutual respect and on a solid legal basis. The best of the 13 cooperation agreements signed over the past years and 11 other draft in the phase of the study and negotiation.
The two countries have a common position on many issues of the international agenda, and the Cuban government and its people are aware of the role of Qatar, in line with the vision of His Highness the Amir to engage in all international issues and participate in finding positive solutions to them, based on the principle of spreading a culture of peace and dialogue and finding peaceful and just solutions. This is a result of the keenness of our country to support in all the issues relating to the rights and freedoms of people, and the role that our leadership has chosen to become supportive to the oppressed and weak nations around the world.
The ambassador pointed out that the visit of His Highness the Amir to the Republic of Cuba has had a great impact on the deepening of the relations between the two countries. It is the evidence of the renewal of the parties' desire to strengthen the beautiful relationship that was built. The State of Qatar is ready to accompany Cuba in this new phase of its development. He said that the most important outcome of this visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for investment in the Republic of Cuba, which would allow the State of Qatar to invest $ 2 billion over the next five years, in addition to an agreement on canceling the visa requirement for holders of diplomatic, special and service passports for both countries, and memorandum of understanding on air services and a cooperation agreement in the field of sport.
He stressed the importance of the medical cooperation between the two countries, and said that it is the sector that has achieved the greatest success so far. Many Cuban doctors have provided services in the country for years, and there are more than 400 doctors and experts in the city of Dukhan. Cuba is one of the leading countries in the export of health services, because it has a unique medical system that provides integrated health services based on the concept of prevention and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle for individuals, the results of which were reflected on the system of the demographic indicators of the Republic of Cuba. The country is in the first place of the list of developed countries health, despite the weak resources and economic classification within the group of developing countries.
HE said that a delegation from the primary health care institution in Qatar paid an official visit to the Republic of Cuba to learn about the Cuban experience in primary care. They met with officials and conducted field visits to primary health care centers. The delegation also visited the Juan Amheris General Hospital and discussed the relationship between primary and secondary care in the health experiment. The members of the delegation were interested in learning about the experience of the Republic of Cuba in the field of primary health care and how to make optimal use of available resources. The Cuban model is an example for providing integrated services to individuals by establishing the model of family medicine and promoting the concept of prevention.
He continued speaking about opportunities and many other areas for the development and promotion of this cooperation and investment in the Cuban economy, especially in the new era in Cuba. Tourism and investment are generally shown as sectors that offer potential for joint ventures. The Cuban side has listed 16 projects (hotels, agriculture, industry, oil and civil aviation) and have an interest that the State of Qatar invest in these areas.
He pointed to the important role played by the mission in this regard. It is by virtue of its follow-up to the arena and its keenness to provide a good investment ground, which facilitates and enhances contacts between the two parties to help Qatari businessmen and companies here. He said they were aware of the incentives to attract investments in Cuba, including that Cuba enjoys security conditions. He said the example was the Cuban side's agreement to open a representative office for Qatar National Bank in Havana.
Speaking about the importance of tourism in the island, he said that the industry attracts more than 4 million tourists a year and is one of the main sources of income for Cuba. It has a favorable climate, attractive beaches, colonial architecture and distinctive cultural history. In this regard, he referred to the upcoming investment project on the island by Qatari Diar to build a huge hotel in the capital.
He said the state also has an interest in air services, and here he referred to Qatar Airways' CEO continued visits to Cuba to cover the island's need.
He also discussed the sports aspect and the active cooperation between the two countries in this field, based on the agreements concluded between the former Qatari Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Qatar Olympic Committee, on one side, and the Cuban National Institute for Physical Education and Sport in the other side. He said that the services of Cuban trainers for the volleyball team had been employed in Doha for a while and that there are new horizons in this area. He said the country is looking to increase these sport activities and the participation of Cuban athletes.
In the scientific and cultural fields, there are also two agreements, the first is automatically renewed every five years - completed by an executive program - and the second every three years. There has been and continues to be a fruitful exchange between the two countries, that includes the Cuban participation in cultural events in Doha and the participation of traditional and modern Qatari arts in cultural events and festivals in Cuba, as well as the participation of Cuban delegations in the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha.
The Embassy participates in and sponsors various cultural events, such as the Santiago Alvarez Film Festival in Santiago de Cuba and the International festival of the Counter-tenor, organized by the Leo Brewer Cultural Foundation.
HE pointed out that the Cuban media usually reflects the Qatari economic development; the preparations for the 2022 World Cup, and the huge urban movement taking place in Doha to welcome this great event.
On the other hand, there was adequate and complete media coverage of the historic visit of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to Cuba, which the media considered as an important step in boosting bilateral relations and bringing the two sides closer in their positions on international issues.
Currently, the Cuban media is covering the activities of the Mission, keeping track of its news, and broadcasting it so that Cubans can learn about the reality, culture, and vision of the State.
In conclusion, the ambassador referred to the proposals that the Embassy wishes to implement with the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the People, which the event organized today is part of it. It consists on an invitation from the Institute for a Qatari delegation to visit Cuba, in order to learn about the work of the Institute and the situation of Cuba in general, and to pay visits to the political, economic and social institutions.
He also said that the Embassy and the Institute had agreed to invite the Director of the Institute to visit Qatar in order to identify its realities closely, and to hold meetings with Qatari officials so as to strengthen bilateral relations and bring its two peoples closer.