DOHA: The Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has signed an MoU with the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Qatar Consul-General in Houston Rashid bin Abdullah Al Dehaimi and University of Houston-Clear Lake president Dr Ira Blake signed the MoU.
The remote signing ceremony was attended by the Director of the Diplomatic Institute, Dr Abdulaziz bin Mohamed Al Horr, in addition to the presence of the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Trade and International Affairs Christopher Olson. In his speech, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner praised the MoU, describing it as innovative and important in Houston, which is home to more than 95 consulates.
Al Horr said today is the right time more than ever for such a partnership, and diplomacy faces many challenges in the contemporary world and is no longer limited to practise in conducting negotiations and public relations, pointing out that the Diplomatic Institute always seeks to find new programmes to sharpen the skills of Qatari diplomats. He hoped that work to implement the agreement would begin as soon as possible.
In her speech, Blake said the institute of diplomacy at the University of Houston will be the platform to demonstrate the university’s commitment to supporting the best results of cooperation and diplomatic partnership. She expressed her happiness at starting this work with the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noting such partnerships and providing continuous support are not new for Qatar which supported Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina and Houston during Hurricane Harvey.