Ambassador Rashed Mairza Al-Mulla received at the Embassy, on Tuesday 15/01/2019, the Ambassador of the Republic of Benin to the Republic of Cuba, Mr. Cyr Koty, where they exchanged views on bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest.

The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Cuba issued the 5th Edition of the Newsletter “Qatar in Cuba”, with the following content: Page 1: H.H. the Amir Inaugurated the 18th Doha Forum under the Theme “Shaping Policy in an Interconnected World”. H.H. the Amir Visited Latin America amid Ongoing Blockade. Page 2: Qatar Spares No Effort to Build Regional, International Partnerships to Address Disasters. H.H. the Amir Opened the 47th Ordinary Session of the Advisory Council. Qatar Is Pulling Out of OPEC to Focus on Gas. Page 3: World’s Largest Water Reservoirs Completed in Qatar Qatar National Day 2018. Cuban Hospital in Qatar Awarded for the Second Time by Press Ganey Page 4: State of Qatar Recognised by its Humanitarian Work. Qatar Empowers Women. GCC Fails to Discuss Qatar Blockade.

The Cuban newspaper Trabajadores (the Workers) had an interview with HE the Ambassador The Cuban newspaper Trabajadores (the Workers) had an interview with HE the Ambassador on December 18, 2018, on the occasion of the celebration of the National Day of the State in Havana. The interview is as follows: "The Cuban hospital in the city of Dukhan, where 450 doctors, nurses and technicians are working, is a symbol of the relations between our two countries, and Cuba should be proud of its doctors," said Rashid Mirza Mahmood Al Mulla, the ambassador of the State of Qatar in Havana. HE added that the health system in Cuba is seen with respect and a high standing in the world. He pointed out that the hospital has won twice the Press Ganey Prize for excellence in nursing. In an exclusive interview with the newspaper on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Gulf State by Prince Jassem bin Mohammed Al-Thani in 1878, he spoke about the achievements of his country's prosperity and economic, political, social and human development. He pointed to the quality of the educational system and the state's benefit from the production and export of liquefied gas. He also talked about developing his state of infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as well as science and technology, and plans for the commercial production of a clean-energy vehicle in 2021. The Ambassador also explained the high level of social indicators, respect for human rights and health care for Qataris as well as foreign workers and residents. With regard to international politics, he spoke of cooperation with the United Nations and the role of the State in the peaceful resolution of regional and global conflicts. On relations with Cuba, he noted the visit of His Highness Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to the island in 2015, and the signing of important agreements and the exchange of visits between senior officials, adding that the two countries wish to further develop these relations. The two countries shared common positions in international forums and organizations. On the economic front, he said that the Cuban side had made several investment proposals for the State of Qatar on the island, especially in the tourism, energy and health sectors. HE finally added "I would like to congratulate the Government and people of Cuba on the electoral process that took place in a civil and democratic manner, as well as the congratulations to President Miguel Diaz Canel on his assumption of power in Cuba."

The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Havana celebrated the national day of the State The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Cuba celebrated yesterday Tuesday 18/12/2018, the national day of the State. The Minister of Public Health of the Republic of Cuba, Dr. José Angel Portal Miranda, participated in the occasion, as long as HE Mr. Rogelio Serra Diaz, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, HE Mr. Eduardo Rodriguez Davila, vice minister de Transport, and HE Mr. Armando Vergara, Director-General for Bilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and HE Mr. Hector Igarza, Director of North Africa and Middle East of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A number of ambassadors of the countries accredited to Cuba also participated in the celebration. On the occasion of the occasion, HE Ambassador Rashid Mairza Al-Mulla delivered a speech on the history of the establishment of the State, the achievements of the Qatari leadership, the circumstances of the embargo imposed on it and the bilateral relations between the two countries. The following are the most important points in the speech of His Excellency the Ambassador: - He congratulated the people and the Government of Qatar on the recent electoral process in the country and congratulated HH the new Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel on his assumption of the country's rule. -HE reviewed some aspects related to the State of Qatar, as follows: 1. Establishment and establishment of the State by Sheikh Jassem Bin Mohammed Bin Thani on 18 December 1878. 2. The discovery of oil in the State of Qatar, and its development in this period, which has become the country has a clear impact in the region. 3. One of the most important periods in the history of our country is the reign of His Royal Highness Prince Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who witnessed tremendous developments in the economic sphere (the state's possession of natural gas) and its role as a mediator in resolving disputes in the region. 4. HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who continued his father's process, took power, and was keen to develop the vision of Qatar 2030, and he assured his interest in internal development and foreign policy, based on peace, security, stability, cooperation and friendship among the countries and peoples of the world. 5. HE referred to the unjust siege imposed on the state and how Qatar has overcome it diplomatically, politically and economically. - HE emphasized the strength of the bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Cuba in various fields, which in a few weeks relations will be 30 years since its establishment.

These are the most important points raised bu HH the Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani Amir of the State of Qatar at The 18th Doha Forum: - Repression, tyranny, double standards and violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms have become a threat to humanity. - Stability cannot be based on oppression and injustice, just as real peace is based on justice and not on occupation. - It is not possible to achieve long-term economic development without human development. - It is necessary to achieve security in all its economic, political, environmental and societal dimensions. - The universal values attained by humanity after World War II cannot be changed by changing circumstances. - Dialogue and peaceful means are the key to resolving conflicts. - Technological development and open electronic space made it difficult to monopolize the word and muzzle the mouths. - We are keen to keep dialogue platforms and all means of communication effective and open to exchange views in a free environment for all intellectual affiliations and political views. - Dialogue is what bridges the gap between the parties, no matter how intense are the differences: It is the starting point and the point of completion in this difficult time. - Our position has not changed from the Gulf crisis, which consists on the siege of our country and its solution should be through the lifting of the siege, and resolving disputes through dialogue based on mutual respect, and non-interference in the internal affairs of the states.

Ambassador Rashed Mairza Al-Mulla received at the Embassy on Friday, 14/12/2018, the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the Republic of Cuba, Mr. Ramon Hostak, where they exchanged views on bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest.

HE Ambassador Rashed Mirza Al Mulla received at the Embassy on Monday 10/12/2018 HE Mr. Mohammed Saleh Khalaf, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Republic of Cuba and HE Mr. Kamran Shafi, Ambassador of the Republic of Pakistan to the Republic of Cuba. The ambassadors exchanged views on bilateral relations and matters of common interest. The Ambassadors also discussed about the developments of the Gulf crisis, and the position of the state on this crisis.

Mr. Ghanim Essa Alghanim, the Third Secretary of the Embassy, took part in the opening ceremony of the Medical Center for Disabled Services in Cuba (La Edad de Oro) on Monday, 3 December 2018, for which His Highness Emir father Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani contributed with € 1 million. Mr. Al-Ghanim received a recognition certificate from the Ministry of Health officials in recognition of this humanitarian assistance. The ceremony was attended by the Cuban Minister of Health, the President of the Havana Provincial Government, the President of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party in Havana Province, the President of the Center, among other medical personalities, and doctors.

Doha, Dec. 03 (QNA) - The State of Qatar has announced that Qatar has decided to withdraw from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), announced HE Minister of State for Energy Affairs and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Petroleum (QP) Eng. Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, during a press conference held today, starting from the first of next January, citing that this decision is due to Qatar's desire to focus on the gas sector as the most important sector for Qatar. The minister said that as the state seeks to strengthen its position in this field, it has had to review its role and contribution and how to strengthen that role to serve its long-term strategy. This requires more focus and commitment to develop and enhance its position in the production of natural gas. He stressed that these data, coupled with the size of Qatar's oil production, were behind the decision to withdraw from the organization, which has been a member for 57 years and was one of the founding countries. He said that his country will remain proud of its global position in the forefront of natural gas producing countries and as the largest source of clean energy from natural gas He said Qatar would attend the last meeting of the organization during this month. He pointed to the role of his country in developing a strategy for the oil and gas sector, based on growth and expansion internally and externally, which resulted in increasing its international presence, especially in the field of exploration and production in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Cyprus, Congo, South Africa, Oman and others, and that more projects are under study in the next few months. On his expectations of the repercussions of this decision, he said that the oil market will not be affected by this decision due to the lack of production of the state, stressing Qatar's commitment to the decisions of OPEC until the end of its membership. Whether the decision is a political one, al-Kaabi denied this, saying it was due to technical reasons related to future strategy, explaining that the fair price of a barrel of oil ranges between 70 and 80 dollars a barrel. He said that the role and objectives of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum is different from the OPEC, and that it is not among the objectives of the Forum to determine the quantities of production for the participating countries, expressing Qatar's satisfaction with its role and functions. He pointed to the state line of increasing current liquefied natural gas production from about 77 million tons to 110 million tons in the coming years, announcing its strategy to raise its production capacity from 4.8 million barrels per day to 6.5 million barrels per day during the next decade. He said Qatar Petroleum would increase production without borrowing, and that the names of foreign partners would be announced soon. HE said a petrochemical complex would be established to break down ethylene in the Ras Laffan area. In the field of investments, he explained that Qatar Petroleum will enter into partnerships for the production of natural gas in the United States, and it may become an exporter of liquefied natural gas from the United States through the project Golden Pass. Regarding its prices and the impact of shale gas on them, HE said that among other options is the entry of Qatar Petroleum in investments in shale gas.

ILO, FIFA Laud Qatar's Human Rights, Workers Protection Reforms BRUSSELS, Nov 24 (QANA) - The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Federation of Football Association (IFA) praised the reforms adopted by the State of Qatar to protect human rights and migrant labor, during the celebration of the major sports events. The representatives of the two organizations stressed that the state has made great changes to ensure that it respects the rights of all employees in general and the employees of the World Cup facilities, and to adopt the highest safety and security standards, and the adoption of new laws, most notably the abolition of the sponsorship law and the regulation of entry and exit of expatriates. In her speech at the seminar, Chief of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work Branch of the ILO Governance and Tripartism Department Beate Andrees, said that these steps were a model for development. The ILO in the State of Qatar is in the process of developing the rights of workers. The organization monitors the conditions of workers and all their requirements in accordance with international law and ILO standards, noting that the organization has signed with the State of Qatar an agreement containing a comprehensive program of technical cooperation between the two parties. FIFA's Head of Sustainability and Diversity Federico Addiechi stressed the importance of integrating human rights into major sporting events. He said that the most important achievement was to work closely with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) to follow up the completion of infrastructure and stadiums World Cup. He added that the Committee was and remains a wonderful partner, especially with regard to human rights. He was pleased that experts and civil society organizations had confirmed that the Committee respected the required standards, noting the importance of the report published by the Committee and the reports of other organizations that had been part of those efforts.