The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York City, New York.
The ministers highlighted the positive and growing bilateral relations between Canada and Qatar and noted their shared desire to grow the economic partnership through enhanced trade and investment.
The ministers discussed the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. Minister Anand reiterated Canada's strong condemnation of the strikes conducted by the Israel Defense Forces in Qatar, a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The ministers underscored the need for co-ordinated international action to support peace, security and the dignity of Israelis and Palestinians.
The ministers agreed that there is no sustainable peace without a two-state solution and that there can be no two-state solution without an independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security.
The ministers underscored Palestinians' right to self-determination and how Canada's recent recognition of the State of Palestine is a necessary step on the path toward a two-state solution.
Minister Anand thanked Qatar for its leadership role alongside the United States and Egypt in efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages and scaled-up flows of life-saving assistance for Palestinian civilians. The ministers agreed on the urgent need to intensify efforts to achieve sustainable peace and security in the region.
