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| Ambassador of Qatar to Korea Khalid bin Ebrahim Al-Hamar, center, poses with guests at the Qatar National Day reception, including Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Bo-gyoon, right at a hotel in Seoul, Dec. 14. Courtesy of Embassy of Qatar in Seoul |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The Embassy of Qatar in Korea celebrated the country's national day with a ceremony in Seoul, as Qatar plays host to the first World Cup in the Arab world.
Ambassador of Qatar to Korea Khalid bin Ebrahim Al-Hamar introduced the slogan of the Qatar National Day 2022, "Our Unity Source of Our Strength," which is quoted from a speech by the state's ruler Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. The Qatar National Day commemorates the unification of Qatar in 1878.
"(The slogan) is affirming the approach of cohesion, solidarity and unity of the people of Qatar to face challenges and achieve objectives," ambassador Al-Hamar said during his speech at a reception at a hotel in Seoul, Dec. 14.
The ambassador highlighted that the celebration coincides with a time when relations between Korea and Qatar have reached one of their highest points.
"The mutual visits between the leaders of the two countries, especially the visit of His Highness The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in January 2019, contributed to the opening of new horizons for cooperation and paved the way to diversify cooperation to include new non-traditional areas such as technology, smart farms, solar energy, medical field, smart grids and joint investments," he said.
"In the areas of traditional cooperation, the State of Qatar is the main supplier of liquefied natural gas to the Republic of Korea, as Qatari gas represents about 30 percent of the total imports of the Republic of Korea of this vital substance. The two countries also signed a huge deal worth nearly twenty billion dollars in exchange for Qatar obtaining more than 100 LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers."
The ambassador said the national day celebration is particularly important this year as it coincidences with Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup and the venue was decorated with soccer-related items such as the official ball of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
"Both events are an opportunity for the people of Qatar to show their unity and culture to the world. During this period, visitors to Qatar will learn about the bright aspects of our history and culture, and test our belief in civilized interaction with other cultures," he said.
"The tournament of 2022 FIFA World Cup showed the world Qatar's cultural identity, economic, security and administrative abilities, and its tangible achievements in all fields. We are grateful for the support and praise for our success in organizing this major global event and we affirm that this unique and inspiring experience is for all humanity," he added.
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