Many major milestones were achieved by Qatar in 2016 under the able and wise leadership of the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Progress was made in all fields be it domestic policies, infrastructural development or foreign policy.
Many fundamental reforms were implemented in the country during the last year in labour law and residency laws, which are expected to benefit both expats as well as citizens.
Whereas as a reasonable regional power and influencer, Qatar stayed true to its moral responsibility and continued its unconditional support to the people of Syria. In fact, Qatar cancelled its National Day Celebrations as a gesture of solidarity with the people of Syria in particular with the people of the ravaged city of Aleppo.
The country succeeded in achieving a number of goals that it had set for itself in 2016 in the fields of health, education, transportation, infrastructure, communication, information technology, sports, aviation etc.
Similarly, on the international front Qatar played a very decisive and constructive role in regional and global politics and decision-making.
In order to strengthen the country’s relations with countries from around the world, the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim visited Russia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Argentine, and Colombia and signed various bilateral agreements that will benefit both parties.
The Emir HH Sheikh Tamim also visited North Darfur after successfully mediating the Darfur Peace Agreement to inaugurate the reconstruction and development era in the country.
While addressing the United Nations, the Emir HH Sheikh Tamim called on the world to address the issues in the region impartially and without any bias.
In October of 2016, Qatar lost one of its most visionary leaders when the Grandfather Emir H H Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani passed away at the age of 84. The State held a three days of public mourning to pay respects to the Grandfather Emir.
In the last month of the year, Qatar played host to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. It was a historic visit that took relations between the two nations to new heights. During the visit, the Emir HH Sheikh Tamim directed that an area inside Education City be allocated to Saudi Arabia to establish an academic project that contributes to diverse knowledge enrichment.
Similarly, the Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani visited too visited countries such as Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and India to strengthen bilateral ties.
Qatar presented the “Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Anti-Corruption Excellence Award” in Vienna to appreciate, acknowledge and recognise the contribution and efforts to anti corruption efforts of the winning entities and personnel.
