Secretary of State Mario Nobilo visited Qatar for 4th Annual UN Alliance of Civilizations Forum and final preparations for opening Croatian embassy

This year’s forum was dedicated to using intercultural dialogue for development, the role of media in the perception of other cultures, relations between the West and the Islamic culture, inciting inter-religious dialogue, as well as fighting discrimination, prejudice and hate talk

This year’s forum was dedicated to using intercultural dialogue for development, the role of media in the perception of other cultures, relations between the West and the Islamic culture, inciting inter-religious dialogue, as well as fighting discrimination, prejudice and hate talk.

In his presentation during the discussion on the relations between the West and the Islamic countries today, 10 years after September 11, the secretary of state said that there was no fatal conflict between the two religions and cultures, but a joint struggle against religious exclusiveness and fundamentalism through the strengthening of dialogue, mutual trust and joint interests, as well as the respect for international law. During the meeting on reconciling the differences in the realization of social cohesion, he pointed out Croatia’s contribution on the national and international level to the promotion of diversity through equality, based on the principles of protecting the common European and universal values.

The forum gathered numerous high-level delegations, and was opened by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and UN Secretary General, while the participants included presidents of state, ministers and heads of international organizations.

The Alliance of Civilizations was founded in 2005 on the initiative of the Spanish and Turkish government, under the auspices of the UN, with the aim of improving understanding and cooperation among different cultures and religions through four main areas: education, youth, media and migration. The Republic of Croatia has been a member since 2008.

During the secretary of state’s stay in Qatar, final preparations were made for the opening of the embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Doha, as well as technical preparations for the visit by the Croatian president. The secretary of state also talked with representatives of the Croatian companies doing business in Qatar about their current and possible future engagements, as well as opening a Zagreb-Doha direct flight.

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