


TOKYO: The Qatari Embassy held a National Day reception in Tokyo on December 12, with Ambassador Jaber Jarallah Al-Marri highlighting the country’s history and strong relationship with Japan in a festive event.
In his welcoming speech, the Ambassador recognized “the founder of the state, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, under whose leadership Qatar became a single cohesive entity and an independent unified country in 1878.”
Ambassador Al-Marri, reminding his audience of the terrible war raging in Gaza and its environs, emphasized in a resolute tone the urgent need for peace in the region, stating, “Our region is witnessing extremely dangerous events that threaten the security and stability of the entire world. Gaza is still suffering from an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. We in the State of Qatar are convinced that the only way towards stability and prosperity in the region is to achieve a just and lasting peace for the Palestinian issue based on international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and the vision of a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders.”
Expressing his gratitude, Ambassador Al-Marri thanked Japan for its support of the Palestinian people and its commitment to the two-state solution. He also praised the long-standing relationship between Qatar and Japan, underscoring the strength of their bilateral ties.
“We in the State of Qatar are pleased and proud of our strategic partnership with Japan, which has developed over more than half a century on the basis of cooperation, common interests and mutual respect,” the Ambassador said. “The commercial, economic and investment interests between our two countries have formed the backbone of our bilateral relations and contributed to raising them to the level of a strategic partnership.”
Ambassador Al-Marri expressed his country’s profound gratitude for the contributions of Japanese companies to its infrastructure and energy projects. He also reiterated Qatar’s unwavering commitment to providing Japan with stable and sufficient energy supplies.
Support for Japan next year will also include participation in the World Expo 2025 Osaka with a pavilion that aims to highlight the accomplishments of Qatar and its vision for the future.
The Qatari Ambassador reaffirmed Qatar’s determination to continue working closely with their Japanese friends and partners to achieve their shared ambitions within the framework of the existing strategic partnership between the two countries.
Qatar, he added, “is steadily moving towards a brighter, more prosperous, and more developed future. The development, stability, security and major renaissance witnessed by our country in all economic, social and infrastructure aspects constitute a distinctive leap for a successful experience that has been able to knock on the doors of the future with the perseverance of its loyal sons and generous people.”
The event was attended by MATSUMOTO Hisashi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japanese government officials and others from parliament and various ministries, business representatives, the media and diplomats.
Matsumoto said it was a “great honor” to attend the celebrations and congratulated the Ambassador and the people of Qatar on behalf of the government of Japan. He thanked Qatar for its support after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and added he was “pleased to see the rapid expansion and deepening of our cooperation into a wide range of areas. Japan would like to further deepen cooperation with our strategic partner, the State of Qatar.”
He noted that Japan Airlines launched a new, nonstop, daily service between Haneda Airport and Doha earlier this year, the first direct flight to the Middle East by a Japanese airline and visa restrictions were relaxed for Qatari citizens. A business-class ticket on Qatar Airways, which also flies directly from Japan, was won by a Japanese businessman attending the event.
The guests were offered Arabic food, and Qatari music played while videos and photos of Qatar were displayed.