By Government Press Office | BELIZE
BELMOPAN, Belize – Ramon Cervantes, minister of state of foreign affairs, foreign trade and immigration, welcomed H.E. Dr Ahmad Hassen Al-Hammadi, secretary-general of the ministry of foreign affairs of the state of Qatar, on an official visit to Belize as part of a regional tour.
The visit saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of political consultations, which enabled the convening of the first political consultation meeting.
Discussions focused on strengthening bilateral relations between both countries, economic and commercial affairs including investment and post-COVID economic recovery, regional and multilateral issues, and cooperation in areas of energy, education, and infrastructure. The status of several other cooperation agreements was reviewed and both sides recommitted to the completion and signing of those agreements, covering visa waiver exchange and cooperation in education and culture.
A bilateral meeting was also held with Julius Espat, minister of infrastructure development and housing, to explore cooperation in housing and infrastructure.
The visit concluded with a symbolic handing-over ceremony for the Plant a Million Trees Initiative in which the government of Belize donated five species of plants representative of Belize that can survive the environmental conditions of Qatar. This initiative forms part of Qatar’s goal to plant one million trees before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Minister Cervantes was accompanied by ambassador Amalia Mai, chief executive officer in the ministry of foreign affairs and foreign trade while H.E. Dr Ahmad Hassen Al-Hammadi was accompanied by Tariq Al-Othman, Chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of the State of Qatar in El Salvador, and Dr Issa Bin Mohammed Menai, director for the department of American Affairs.
Delegations from both countries were also present at the events. Belize and the State of Qatar enjoy 20 years of diplomatic relations.
