President of the Republic of Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos awarded here Monday Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Permanent Representative of the state of Qatar to the United Nations, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the international community in general and to Cyprus in particular.
In a ceremony at the Presidential Palace, President Papadopoulos praised Al-Nasser for the central and decisive role he has played in establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Noting Al-Nasser is a distinguished diplomat and a very good friend of Cyprus, President Papadopoulos talked about the Ambassador’s career, adding that Al-Nasser has had a very distinguished diplomatic career, serving as the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations for the past nine years. He is also the accredited Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Security Council, as a Non-Permanent Member for 2006 and 2007.
In his speech, the Ambassador of Qatar expressed his sincere gratitude for the honor, saying that “this gesture is a true reflection of the strong and friendly relations and co- operation between our two countries for which I had the honor to play an important part in promoting and strengthening themâ€.
The Ambassador said that Cyprus is considered a closed friend not only to Qatar but also to the whole Arab world and added: “we appreciate its valuable and positive support concerning issues related to the Middle Eastâ€.
He announced that the state of Qatar will open its first embassy in Nicosia next month.
President Papadopoulos said the Qatar diplomat “has demonstrated great diplomatic skills in presenting both his country’s and his regional group’s interests. However, he has foremost excelled in defending the principles of the Charter of the United Nations: defending the importance of the peaceful settlement of disputes between States and the rule of lawâ€.
Furthermore, he said Ambassador Al-Nasser enjoys great respect among the United Nations Community for his tireless efforts in promoting the principles of the Organisation. At the same time, he is dedicated to assisting the less privileged, by actively participating in developing programs of the United Nations and was the Chairman of the Group of 77 in 2004.
President Papadopoulos said the State of Qatar is a small peninsula in the west coast of the Gulf with many similarities to Cyprus, from being almost identical in size (11,437 square kilometers), to a similar historical past, being under Ottoman control for over four centuries, followed by British rule until 1971.
Commenting that Ambassador Al-Nasser is one of the most trusted voices at the United Nations and also internationally, President Papadopoulos said “the Republic of Cyprus is very grateful for the central and decisive role the Ambassador has played in establishing diplomatic relations between our two countries, a contribution that went well beyond the signing of a bilateral agreementâ€.
Due to his encouragement and support, he added, the Republic of Cyprus opened its first resident Embassy in the Arab countries of the Gulf in 2003, “a move that strengthened and improved our bilateral relations, increased our economic cooperation and cultural exchanges and led to a realization of our common heritage and past experiencesâ€.
President Papadopoulos said that “we will soon welcome the first resident Qatari Ambassador in the Republic of Cyprus, in what is going to be another monumental step in further strengthening our bilateral relationsâ€.
“In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the international community in general and to Cyprus in particular, and as a gesture of gratitude, I now bestow upon His Excellency Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser the “Grand Commander of the Order of Makarios IIIâ€, the President concluded.
