The governments of the Republic of Liberia and the State of Qatar formally established diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level.

The signing ceremony took place at the Chancery of the Embassy of the State of Qatar; located at Charles de Gaulle Etoile was characterized with grandeur, stately decor, and opulence.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, the signing of the Joint Communiqué took early this week in Paris, France, at the Embassy of the State of Qatar. The Joint Communiqué stated that: inter alia, that "in pursuance of the mutual interest of the peoples of the two countries and guided by their willingness to develop... cooperation between the two states in the political, economic, social, humanitarian and other fields.

The Joint Communiqué added that: we have agreed and decided to establish diplomatic relations at the highest level as of the date of the signing of this Joint Communiqué."

His Excellency Mohamed Jaham Al-Kuwari, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of France, singed on behalf of the Government of the State of Qatar while His Excellency Dudley McKinley Thomas, Ambassador of the Republic of Liberia to France and Special Envoy of the President of Liberia to the State of Qatar, signed on behalf of the Government of Liberia.

The Joint Communiqué was signed in the presence of a distinguished array of personalities, led by the Ambassador of Congo (Brazzaville), H.E. Henri Lopes, who is also Dean of the African Ambassadors accredited to France, and including the Ambassadors of Togo, Egypt, Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria, Guinea, Namibia, Chad, Angola, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Sudan, and Uganda.

Immediately following the signing ceremony, both envoys in a brief remarks expressed the hope that this positive step would mark the beginning of closer ties between the two States, thereby, fostering mutual cooperation that would lead to the benefit of the peoples of both countries.

It maybe recall that, earlier this year, Her Excellency President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was War ly received by His Royal Highness, Shiekh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, at the Emir's Diwan during her visit to Doha, to attend the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) Conference.

During their discussions, the two leaders agreed to established formal diplomatic ties at the Ambassadorial level, and thus, paving the way for bilateral cooperation and the investment of Qatar in various sectors of the Liberian economy.