HH The Amir Visits Georgetown University
His Highness The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited today Georgetown University at the invitation of the University's President, Dr. John J. DeGioia, to deliver a speech for the university students.
At the beginning of the visit, HH The Amir held a meeting with Dr. DeGioia and a number of members of the administrative and teaching staff to discuss aspects of bilateral cooperation and ways of enhancing them.
Then, HH The Amir met in a discussions panel with a number of students, members of the administrative and teaching staff and members of the media, at the University's Justin Hall.
At the beginning of his speech, HH The Amir welcomed the attendees and praised the partnership between the State of Qatar and Georgetown University, where HH The Amir described them as an example of long-term strategic educational partnerships, which Qatar always seeks to strengthen.
Then, HH The Amir outlined the most prominent features of the domestic and foreign policy of the State of Qatar and the most prominent achievements on the local and international levels.
In domestic affairs, HH The Amir highlighted the most prominent achievements, particularly in the field of investment in education, while on the external affairs HH The Amir said that Qatar is one of the countries that encourage dialogue among people and openness to other cultures in order to achieve common interests, where the State of Qatar has achieved a lot in this area in addition to its effective role in the global partnership for development and support of international peace and security, HH The Amir noted.
Then, HH The Amir opened the debate with the audience about the role of youth in achieving stability in the Middle East and its future which touched on most prominent current issues at the Arab and international levels, such as the Arab spring, the fight against terrorism as well as regional and international relations.
The discussion also included Qatar's efforts to work with other states to ensure the stability of the region and to support young people and help them face challenges.
In reply to a question from the audience about His Highness' current visit to the United States, HH The Amir said that his meetings with the US President and senior officials were fruitful and excellent.
On Qatar's efforts for development, HH The Amir said the state will further continue its efforts of development in all fields for the benefit of citizens and future generations, stressing the importance of diversifying sources of income, such as investment and non-reliance on oil and gas resources.
On whether there is the will and collective strategy by the region's countries to meet the challenges they currently face, HH The Amir said that "the will is existing, and we have the ability to cope with terrorist movements, but we as Arabs, we should depend on ourselves first".
Asked about the results of his recent visit to Saudi Arabia, HH The Amir described the bilateral relations between the two countries as "strong and historical ties". HH The Amir expressed confidence on the ability of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to deal with the challenges facing the region.
On bilateral ties with Egypt, HH The Amir stressed that the State of Qatar wants a stable Egypt, despite the differences currently present between the two countries. In another question on the extent of His Highness' interest in the Arabic language, HH The Amir emphasized his great interest in the Arabic language and support for all what would boost its use and learning inside and outside Qatar.
Asked about Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, His Highness expressed happiness and pride, as organising such an event is an honour to the Arabs and the region as a whole and not only Qatar, adding that investigations proved the eligibility and merit of the Qatari bid, referring in this regard to the preparations made by Qatar in order to host this important event.
At the conclusion of his speech, HH The Amir praised the efforts made by Georgetown University to support research and scientific studies that deal with sensitive issues relating to political developments in various parts of the world.
For his part, the President of Georgetown University, Dr. DeGioia, expressed his thanks and appreciation to HH The Amir for accepting the invitation to visit the University and conduct an open dialogue with the students and faculty members at the University aimed at exchanging views and perspectives on the latest developments in various regions of the world.
HH The Amir then attended a luncheon hosted by the President of the University in honour of him and his accompanying delegation.