CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar

Qatar, Iraq to cooperate on youth and sports

Published: 17 Jan 2018 - 02:38 am | Last Updated: 08 Nov 2021 - 12:50 am

QNA

Doha: Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali signed yesterday with Iraqi Minister of Youth and Sports, Abdul-Hussein Abtan, a protocol of cooperation between the two ministries in the fields of youth and sports.
This came during a meeting between the two Ministers, where they reviewed ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries, especially in the fields of youth and sports.
Al Ali said that the signing of the protocol of cooperation with the Iraqi side comes within the framework of strengthening Qatar’s relations with fraternal countries, stressing the depth of relations between the two countries and seeking to exchange experiences in various fields, especially in sports and youth as well as enabling the youth of Qatar and Iraq to learn more about the successful experiences in both countries.
The Minister stressed that the Qatari sport will be supportive of its counterpart in Iraq by providing all the assistance and expertise, praising the development of Iraqi sports, and calling on Iraqi youth to benefit from Josoor Institute, which was launched as one of the most important projects of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar that aims to leave a legacy for Qatar and the region by enhancing the skills of Arab youth and supporting them in everything that is new in the world of sporting events so as to create a generation that is aware and capable of development, thereby benefiting not only the State of Qatar but the entire Arab region.
For his part, Abtan told Qatar News Agency that the visit comes within the framework of strong and reciprocal relations between the two countries, and at the invitation of Al Ali as they both met with a delegation of youth and sports officials in Doha and a number of sports stars and officials of the football and athletics associations, where the prospects of cooperation in various fields were reviewed, culminating in the signing of a protocol of cooperation, especially that the State of Qatar is internationally advanced in the field of sports and specialised academies.
The State of Qatar also hosts many world championships including the Athletics Championship 2019 and the coming World Cup in 2022, making Qatar a pioneering model in this field.
The Iraqi Minister pointed out that Qatar national football team will also visit Iraq soon to participate in a four-country championship including Kuwait, Qatar, Syria and Iraq, noting that the talks between the two sides also reviewed the issue of lifting the ban on Iraqi stadiums and the role of Qatar in that.
“We are sure that the State of Qatar has an influential role in supporting Iraq at FIFA, as well as the internal support in the organisation of tournaments,” he said, stressing the success of the visit in strengthening the ties between the two fraternal countries.
In response to a question about Iraq’s support for hosting the 2022 World Cup, he stressed that Iraq fully supports Qatar, both at the level of attendance and participation and that they are ready to provide the required support set by the Qatari side.