From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sat Jul 03 2010 - 06:41:41 EDT
Djibouti envoy praises Qatar's Mediation Role
By Peter Townson
03.07.2010
Having celebrated the National Day of his country earlier this week,
Djibouti Ambassador Mahamade Ali Mahamade has expressed his hope for the
future growth of the Djibouti community in Qatar, and also his satisfaction
with Qatar's involvement in mediation between the African country and its
neighbour, Eritrea.
Mahamade, who arrived in Qatar five years ago and established the Djibouti
embassy in 2005, explained that although the community in Qatar only stands
at around 100, it is a number that has been steadily increasing and which is
set to grow in the future.
"Now we have more people coming from Djibouti to Qatar, because Qatar is an
attractive country and more people want to come and work here," he
explained. He mentioned that there are many families who travelled from
Africa some decades ago, and who have now been here for more than one or two
generations. He emphasised that Djibouti is an Arabic country as well as an
African nation, and highlighted the similarities between the history and
culture of his homeland with the nations in the Gulf and Middle East.
These strong ties go back to historical trade links, and the importance of
the relationship between the two regions is still incredibly high, according
to Mahamade. "(Djibouti) occupies a very strategic point," he said,
mentioning the importance of the sea routes around the country. "We are a
very small market with a population of less than a million," he said, "but
our neighbouring markets are very large, and we offer a gateway to those
countries."
"We would like to see some trade agreements introduced in the future, to
help keep this trade route secure and to improve trade between the Gulf and
Africa," he added.
"This is not just important for the region, but for the whole world," he
said, adding "you can say that Djibouti is one of the only stable countries
in the region."With the importance of sea ports to the country, Mahamade
noted that a number of foreign powers have marine and military presence in
Djibouti to help maintain stability, and also to defend vessels from pirates
in the region.He claimed that it is due to this presence that there is
increased stability in Djibouti, and expressed his hope that the issue with
Eritrea will soon be resolved and the country will be fully at peace again.
With Qatar set to mediate peace talks between the two nations, Mahamade
spoke about his pride at the involvement, and his positive outlook on the
process which he hopes can reach fruition in the near future.
Mahamade also spoke about tourism, another developing market in his country,
and pointed out that the introduction of a direct flight between Qatar and
Djibouti would help to develop this sector.With beautiful diving
opportunities and incredible scenery, as well as the introduction of a
number of luxury hotels in the country, Mahamade is keen to encourage
visitors to experience his country.
On the occasion of the Djibouti National Day, the ambassador hoped more
nationals from his country would come and work in Qatar, while emphasising
his commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between the countries.
'Second round' of talks to resolve dispute
Qatar has recently been accepted as a mediator in peace talks between
Djibouti and Eritrea in an attempt to resolve a conflict related to the
border between the two countries.
Djibouti Ambassador Mahamade Ali Mahamade explained that disputes related to
the area have affected the countries for the past couple of years, with
troops having moved into the surrounding areas leading to unrest.
"Qatar has good relations with both countries and I think Qatar knows that
without peace we cannot hope for any development in the region," he said.
Mahamade claimed that the involvement of Qatar will help further develop
relations with Djibouti, and praised the country's efforts in bringing peace
to the region. He explained that Qatar was the only Arab country to offer
assistance to play the mediatory role from the outset, noting: "But I don't
think that both countries were ready."
However, Mahamade is now hopeful that the involvement can help to resolve
the issues between Djibouti and Eritrea.
"In a few weeks we are awaiting the visit of officials from the foreign
ministries of both countries," he said and added that officials would be
participating in the "second round" of talks, and to build on the roadmap to
peace which Qatar has helped to devise.
"We need to be patient, but I think that we are all awaiting the end of this
conflict," added Mahamade.
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