El Salvador has awarded HE the Minister of State Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit of El Salvador in recognition of his cultural efforts in the international arena.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador Hugo Martinez, currently visiting Qatar, awarded Dr al-Kuwari the Order during a special ceremony in Doha, attended by the ambassadors of Latin America and the Caribbean "Grulac Group" and the ambassadors of Kuwait and Oman to Qatar.
Speaking of the occasion, El Salvador's foreign minister underlined that the Order reflects the depth of relations between El Salvador and Qatar, stressing his country's keenness on further developing the relations with Qatar in political, economic and cultural fields, because his country believes in Qatar's importance on the international arena.
Since Dr al-Kuwari visited El Salvador last year, the relations between the two countries have been developing, the foreign minister added.
He noted that El Salvador's award to Dr al-Kuwari is an appreciation of his cultural efforts on the international scene and his contribution to building constructive and positive relations between Qatar and El Salvador.
For his part, HE Dr al-Kuwari said that the Order is a tribute to the leadership and people of Qatar and will serve as an effective catalyst for further co-operation for the development of the relations between Qatar and the Central American states in general, and between Qatar and El Salvador in particular.
He expressed appreciation for the symbolism of this honour, and thanked the President of El Salvador Salvador Sanchez Ceren and the people of that country.
He also referred to the support of the Latin American countries, especially El Salvador and the Caribbean countries, throughout his candidacy for the Unesco and in all stages of the election, believing in the constructive role of Qatar in education, culture and science, and its efforts to serve the noble objectives of Unesco.
Dr al-Kuwari underlined that Qatar and its leadership appreciate those who stand by it, noting that the most important countries that supported him in his election campaign did not change their positions despite the pressures and temptations, namely: the Caribbean countries, Central America, South Asia and a number of African countries.
Dr al-Kuwari said that the visit of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to a number of the African countries recently, and the signing of agreements with them is evidence of Qatar's appreciation for these countries and its keenness on developing relations with them in the political, economic and cultural fields.
Dr al-Kuwari stressed that Qatar, under the leadership of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, will continue to support education, culture and Unesco's principles through effective programmes such as "Educate A Child" which has benefited millions of children around the world.
He highlighted shared human values between Qatar and Latin American countries such as tolerance, interaction between cultures, mutual respect, and rejection of extremism and terrorism, stressing the importance of communication between officials through exchanging visits and exploring ways to develop relations in various fields, especially cultural ties.
Dr al-Kuwari suggested the organisation of a cultural year between Qatar and the Grulac Group for their positive impacts on the overall relations between nations and peoples.
Dr al-Kuwari praised the development process in El Salvador which he witnessed during his visit last year when he met the president of the country.