John Hawkins' Statement (08/09/2008)
Hawkins speaks of enthusiasm for Qatar posting and for building even closer relations between the UK and Qatar
- New Ambassador keen to play a part in Qatar’s ambitious plans for the future
- 10% rise in British exports to Qatar a sign of increasingly strong bilateral links
- al Majed: a tragic case that has appalled us all
In an introductory briefing on 7 September, new British Ambassador John Hawkins spoke of his hopes for his posting to Qatar, saying that he is “looking forward to working with His Highness’s Government to achieve our shared goals: including increasing trade and investment in both directions; building peace and security in the region; and strengthening educational links.”
Hawkins gave his first impressions of Qatar after just over a month in post. “Doha is an exciting global city with big ambitions for the future and I’m delighted to be here. My family and I are settling in well, and we have found a warm welcome from new friends. We are really looking forward to exploring the country and finding out more about its culture and history.”
Hawkins spoke enthusiastically about the relationship between Britain and Qatar: “We are old friends but as such it is important that we don’t take each other for granted. So I am particularly pleased by how fast our links are growing, across almost all sectors. In the first half of 2008 we exported £352 million of goods to Qatar, an increase of 10% on the same period last year. We are seeing the same growth in the British community in Qatar, which this time last year numbered around 9000; now it is over 10,000. And we are honoured that so many Qataris see the UK as their favoured destination for business, holidays and study: this summer we issued just under 12,000 visas to the UK, a 15% increase on 2007. I am sure that there is much more we can do to build the relationship further and I look forward to playing my part in ensuring that this happens.”
During the briefing Hawkins also addressed the case of Mohammed al Majed: “When two countries have so many links at so many levels, unfortunately we have perhaps to accept that occasionally there will be bad news from time to time as well as good news. This is a tragic and upsetting case that has appalled us all. We have been in close touch with the al Majed family ever since the incident took place and we were glad that they were able to take part in the two minutes’ silence observed by the people of Hastings last week. The reaction of people in the UK, as here in Qatar, has been one of horror: we pride ourselves on the fact that for the vast majority of our visitors, Britain is a safe and welcoming place.”
British Embassy Doha
7 September, 2008
