France Grateful to Qatar for its Exceptional Contribution to Securing Paris 2024 Olympic Games

HE Director General of the French National Gendarmerie General Christian Rodriguez

HE Director General of the French National Gendarmerie General Christian Rodriguez expressed his country's gratitude to the State of Qatar for its outstanding contribution to the security of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, which was a huge success.

He also expressed his gratitude to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and HE Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani for Qatar's participation in securing the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In his remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), he emphasized that the France-Qatar strategic partnership is obvious in the field of security and is witnessing remarkable development year after year.

His Excellency added that the security cooperation between France and Qatar dates back a long time and has never been interrupted. This cooperation is forward looking as it is constantly seeking to adapt to future security issues and challenges that face the two countries.

"We wish to adapt to tomorrows threats and to use the new technologies while continuing to work together on the fundamentals of our work. In particular, Cybercrime and use of artificial intelligence, are key areas of focus," His Excellency said.

HE the Director General of the French National Gendarmerie pointed out that on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the relationship between the two forces that will be celebrated this year, an action plan between Lekhwiya and the French Gendarmerie shall be discussed.

He also noted that the state visit made by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to France in February was a great moment for the bilateral relations between the two countries, which witnessed the signing of major agreements.

He indicated that the two Ministries of Interior in both countries have signed an action plan for 2024-2027, that opens up new areas of cooperation, including judicial police, combating documents fraud, and civil security. A declaration of intent between the National Gendarmerie and Lekhwiya was also signed to strengthen their already close cooperation.

He added that this visit brings a close to a long sequence that started in 2022 when France provided its support to Qatar during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which was a unanimously acclaimed success. Around 220 soldiers from the French National Gendarmerie were deployed in Qatar at that time.

"The way Qatar was able to rely on France in 2022, France was able to count on Qatar for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. And thats what friends all allies are for," he said.

"I am glad and proud that my country hosted the world during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was a great popular and sporting event and a true success in terms of security and organization. We rose to the challenge. In this regard, I would like to congratulate the Qatari athletes who took part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games," he added.

He pointed out that the last two major sporting events that the world witnessed were the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They both were marked by excellent cooperation between our two countries. As a witness of that, out of the 43 countries that provided assistance to France during the Olympics, Qatar ranked as the fourth largest contributor, which showcases the trust and friendship the two countries share.

He indicated that the Qatari collaboration in securing the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was exceptional, as Qatars security personnel worked with French gendarmerie personnel "shoulder to shoulder," a phrase used by HE Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

Speaking about the French security experience in combating riots while preserving human rights, the Director General of the French National Gendarmerie indicated that one of the core tasks assigned to the Gendarmerie is preserving fundamental freedoms and rights, the pillars of the French Republic, whilst allowing effective policing.

He pointed out that the French police and Gendarmerie forces are trained to face extremely difficult situations while preserving the law.

In response to the new challenges in homeland security, including artificial intelligence, he said that artificial intelligence offers equal challenges and opportunities and that it and new technologies are nowadays tools that should be used to better ensure the safety of people.

(QNA)