Q Life Magazine Q Magazine December 2017 | Page 10

| His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani during his interview with Qatar TV
Q: Your Excellency, what is the cause of this crisis, and what are the possibilities of resolving it? The goal of our neighbours is clear to all by now: interference in the internal affairs of Qatar. This is unacceptable and is a red line for us, and the people of Qatar.
Our position has been clear since day one: dialogue is the only way to end the crisis, and we are open to dialogue, provided that the sovereignty of states and the principle of non-interference in internal affairs are maintained.
If any of the blockading countries have comments for us, they must be discussed in an atmosphere of mutual respect as we are accustomed to in the Gulf.
Q: What about Qatar’ s relationship with the international community? Thanks to the wise leadership of His Highness the Emir, Qatar continues to enjoy good and special relations with the international community.
During this crisis, we have endeavoured to consolidate these relations with many countries within the framework of our foreign policy principles. These include mutual
respect and non-interference in internal affairs, as well as effective cooperation in the achievement of international peace and security, and the resolution of disputes through peaceful means.
Qatar is always keen to strengthen its relationships with other countries. Our goal is to achieve our state interests and those of our citizens, as well as mutual interests with other countries.
Q: Your Excellency, what is the impact of this blockade on Qatar’ s economy Strengthening Qatar’ s economy is a top priority for the country. The impact of this crisis has been very mild, and within two weeks things returned to normal.
From my point of view, this crisis was like a wakeup call for us in many areas. We have sufficient capabilities to meet the challenges that our economy may face, and we shall emerge from this crisis stronger than before.
Q: Are there initiatives by the State of Qatar to encourage local products and achieve selfsufficiency? Certainly, we always encourage national production, and we have created many initiatives to encourage the local
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