Doha, 23 August 2020 (Qatar Tribune)

The Pakistani community in Qatar hosted a reception in honour of the new Ambassador of Turkey to Qatar HE Mehmet Mustafa Goksu, outgoing Ambassador of Bangladesh to Qatar HE Ashud Ahmed and outgoing Kazakhstan Ambassador to Qatar HE Askar Shokybayev.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Ahmed described his tenure in Qatar as a diplomat as “the most memorable one in his diplomatic career so far”. He said Bangladesh and Qatar enjoy close bilateral relations in almost all fields, including political, trade, investment, cultural and tourism sectors. He said the two countries also share common stance on regional and international issues.

He thanked the Pakistani community for organising the reception, which gave him another opportunity to enjoy traditional Pakistani cuisines.

Ambassador Shokybayev said Qatar and Kazakhstan have developed strong bilateral relations during the last five years, including connecting both the countries
through direct flights.

He lauded the wise leadership the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The envoy said Qatar’s resilience and its flexible approaches
have helped in promoting successful relations with different countries.

The new Ambassador of Turkey to Qatar HE Goksu said the event was his first public engagement as he has recently submitted his credentials.

He thanked the Pakistani community for organising the reception to honour him and the outgoing ambassadors. He expressed happiness to see different communities living in harmony and enjoying strong relations in Qatar.

Ashraf Siddiqui, on behalf of Pakistani community, thanked all the guests for attending the reception held at Pakistani restaurant Spice & Sizzle.

The guests on the occasion included ambassadors and diplomats of Iran, South Korea, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as
Prof Mehran Kamrava, director, Center for International & Regional Studies at Georgetown University; Prof Farhan Chak, Qatar University; Anwar Hussain
Akon, chairman of Bangladesh Community; Iftikhar Ahmad, former president of Bangladesh Business Forum; Ramzan Miya, Nepalese Community leader; and
Joseph Rivera from the Philippine community.

Prominent Pakistani community members present on the occasion included heads of various community forums, professionals, business community figures
such as Abdul Qahar Khan, Riaz Bakali, Aamer Khan, Rana Anwar Ali, Adeel Akbar, Furqan Paracha, Engineer Javed Iqbal, Ishaq Burney, Hafeez Ullah and Najeeb Ullah.