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On Thursday, King Mohammed VI of Morocco saw the future of his country’s tourism sector grow brighter when royals from the Gulf states signed an agreement to set up Morocco’s Tourism Investment Authority.
 Click here to learn more Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi signed the agreement, along with Kuwait’s Financial Minister Sheikh Mustafa Jassim al Shamali during a ceremony in Rabat.
The Director General of the Moroccan Fund for Tourism Development, Tarik Senhaji, pointed out during the event that having the Gulf nations invest in the North African kingdom’s tourism industry displayed the mutual trust between Morocco and those countries.
After the signing of the agreement, the royals and other delegates were briefed on two locations to be developed into tourism attractions. One was Ouarzazate which is south-east of Rabat. That place already attracts filmmakers, and will eventually have hotels, golf courses and a museum.
The other location is Oukaimden, near Marrakesh, which will also have golf courses and hotels, but also a ski resort.
In addition to agreeing to invest in the Moroccan tourism sector, Qatar Emir Sheikh Hamad signed three other bilateral agreement with King Mohammed VI. They were to set up a Moroccan-Qatari investment firm, collaborate in the mining sector and putting in an addendum to a 1987 agreement for Moroccans working and living in Qatar.
Source: Maghreb Arabe Presse
His Highness Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khaifa al-Thani of Qatar is wrapping up a four nation tour of Eastern Europe. His list of state visits were Macedonia, Poland, Albania and Ukraine. He began on Monday in Macedonia.
 Click here for photo gallery of the tour After arriving in Skopje and going through the welcoming ceremony, the Emir was given the the September Medal by President Gjorge Ivanov, which is the highest Macedonian honor. It was given to the Emir as an appreciation for his efforts to broaden ties with the country and Qatar.
“We highly appreciate the efforts the State of Qatar has been exerting under your wise leadership and your far-sighted vision in areas of peace, cooperation, tolerance, and dialogue in the world,” Ivanov told Hamad.
On Tuesday, His Highness met with the President of the Parliament Trajko Veljanoski, where he discussed cementing Qatari-Macedonian bilateral ties even more. The Emir also was given a tour of Skopje, where he saw the Mustafa Pasha mosque, then toured around the Old Market where he was briefed on its most prominent features and the old shops it includes. Accompanying him on this visit was President Ivanov and the head of the Islamic Religious Community, Reis ul Ulema Sulejman Efendi Rexhepi.
Later that day, the Emir left Macedonia and headed to nearby Albania, where he was greeted by Albanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Edmond Haxhinas at the Mother Teresa International Airport in Tirana. He was then whisked away to the Presidential Palace and met with President Bamir Topi, plus took part in the welcoming ceremony.
As he did in the previous country, the Emir received Albania’s medal of the highest order – the Iskander Beg. It was given to him for the same reasons as before, which was tightening Qatari-Albanian bilateral ties.
 View more photos at Daylife.com He then later met with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha. The meeting included discussions about more bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Also on Tuesday, Emir Sheikh Hamad met with the Mayor of Tirana, Lulzim Basha. During the meeting, Basha presented the Qatari leader with the honorary Medal of Tirana citizenship.
The next day, Wednesday, Hamad headed for Ukraine. In its capital of Kiev, His Highness met with President Viktor Yanukovych and received military honors for a welcoming ceremony. In the evening, there was a dinner banquet in honor of the Emir.
On Thursday, the Emir met with Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, and the two discussed, once again, cementing bilateral ties. Later in the afternoon, Hamad left Ukraine for Poland. During his flight, he sent a cable to Viktor Yanukovych in which he expressed thanks and appreciation for the hospitality accorded to him and the accompanying delegation during the visit.
In Ukraine, the Emir did not receive any sort of medals.
For his final stop, His Highness went to Warsaw where he was greeted by President Bronislaw Komorowski. After the welcoming ceremony, Hamad went on to meet with Bogdan Borusewicz, the Speaker of the Polish Senate, which is part of the Polish Parliament, and later Prime Minister Donald Tusk. For both meetings, bilateral discussions took place.
Tomorrow will be the Emir’s last day on his Eastern European tour.
Source: Qatar News Agency
The annual best-dressed list from the magazine, Vanity Fair was released Wednesday – and no surprise, on the list were some royal women. This year, though, there were three named: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (what a shocker!), Princess Charlene of Monaco, and Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned of Qatar.
 Check out more Catherine pics at Zimbio! Having made the exclusive list in 2008 – back when she was simply Prince William’s girlfriend – the former Kate Middleton wowed Vanity Fair again with her “signature mix of high and low fashion”. The Duchess is known for wearing both high end attire and also clothes from more down to earth designers. She is also known for recycling her clothes often, having worn a green dress she first worn during at trip to Los Angeles last month to the pre-wedding party of William’s cousin, Zara Phillips. Catherine even wore a coat dress to Zara’s wedding that she originally worn at another wedding some years ago.
 Fore more Charlene pics, click here! She’s been officially the Princess of Monaco for only a month, but Her Serene Highness Charlene has made waves with her style since she began appearing by Prince Albert II’s side at social events in the principality. Known for wearing lots of Armani – the Italian designer made her wedding gown – it is expected that Charlene will continue to dazzle for years to come.
 More pics of Sheikha Mozah here Making her second appearance on the list – her first was in 2009 – Qatar’s Sheikha Mozah continues to impress fashionistas with her combination of Muslim modesty and Western style clothing. Never without her signature turban, the Sheikha is always a sight to see during state visits with her husband, the Emir of Qatar. It is usually at these events that she upstages the other women Mozah is doing bilateral business with.
The other royals included on the prestigious list Princess Alexandra of Greece and King Jigme Khesar of Bhutan. The latter was featured in the “fashion originals” group.
Source: Vanity Fair, AP
The Emir of Qatar and his wife are on a two day state visit to Spain in order to strengthen economic ties. Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned arrived in Madrid in the late morning and were greeted by the Spanish royal family. After a welcoming ceremony and posing for the media, the guests and their hosts lunched at Zarzuela Palace.
A state dinner is set for this evening in honor of the Qatari royals.
During the next two days, the Emir is expected to sign several economic agreement with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero. Spain is looking to boost its battered economy by investing in oil rich Qatar.
Among the hopeful investments are construction opportunities for the 2022 FIFA World Cup which Qatar will be hosting.
While the Emir will be doing all this, Queen Sofia will be escorting Sheikha Mozah for a visit to the Alzheimer’s Foundation on Tuesday.
Sources: AFP, Casa Real
The King and Queen of Jordan went to Qatar Tuesday for a one day working visit, which is like a state visit minus all the pageantry. King Abdullah II and Queen Rania were welcomed in Doha by Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al thani and Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Missned.
The point of the King’s visit was to discuss with the Emir about forging closer ties between Jordan and Qatar, as well as talk about the latest developments in the Middle East.
Joining the heads of state during this meeting was the King’s half brother, Prince Ali, and Qatar’s Crown Prince Tamim.
In the afternoon, the Emir and Sheikha Mozah hosted a lunch banquet for Abdullah and Rania.
Source: Petra News Agency
This week, the three most senior Dutch royals are in the Mideast region, where they privately visited one head of state before doing a state visit in another country.
 ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images Originally, Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem Alexander and Princess Maxima were to do two state visits – one in Oman, the other Qatar. But social unrest in the former lead to a postponement of the trip less than a week before it was to take place. Shortly thereafter though, Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said invited the royals to dine with him during a private visit, and the Dutch accepted.
That lead to some outrage with the Netherlands’ Parliament. The parties called the trip “unwise” (Labour Party), “very stupid” (Geert Wilders) and “messy and questionable” (Green Party). Some felt that Queen Beatrix would unwittingly get tied up with Oman’s internal affairs.
However, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said to reject the Sultan’s invitation would mean the Netherlands were choosing sides with Oman’s troubles. He also denied that there was any truth in reports that the private visit is linked to economic interests in the region. Rutte told journalists, “The Queen is not a traveling salesman”.
Rutte also said the personal invitation was a matter between him and the Queen.
So, Her Majesty and Their Royal Highnesses did have dinner with the Sultan at Bait Al Barakah palace. Before that, though, Queen Beatrix held talks with Sultan Qaboos. They discussed ways to tighten bilateral ties between their two nations.
 ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images That was Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Queen and Willem-Alexander and Maxima flew to Doha, Qatar for a three day visit. This time, business leaders and government officials joined them. The point of this state visit was to sign several agreements in arts, energy and business sectors.
The royals met with Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, whom they lunched with after an official welcoming. There were no speeches or toasts during the lunch.
Afterward, the Queen toured Qatar’s state-of-the-art museum of Islamic art and, with her son and daughter-in-law, took a short stroll through the Doha bazaar. There, they met with falcons and other animals still put to use.
In the evening, the Emir and his three wives hosted a dinner at al-Wajba Palace.
Among agreements to be signed during this visit will be an understanding between the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and the Dutch Rijksmuseum Amsterdam on art conservation, plus an agreement between Ras Laffan Industrial City and the Netherlands’ port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe.
The Dutch royals will meet with Dutch citizens living in Qatar, who will host a reception in their honor, and they will also attend a concert by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra at the Opera House in Katara.
Sources: Radio Netherlands, Gulf News
 Qatar News Agency Luxembourg’s Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume arrived in Doha, Qatar Sunday to begin an official visit to the tiny Gulf nation. He was received by Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and the two discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties.
One of the ties Guillaume is hoping to accomplish with this visit is financial. With him on this trip is Luxembourg’s Financial Minister, Luc Frieden, who met with his Qatari counterpart. The Luxembourg delegation is looking to make it known that the tiny Grand Duchy’s Financial Center is open to foreign investment.
Tomorrow, the Hereditary Grand Duke will head to Abu Dhabi for another round of financial talks. He will then go to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and then Lebanon the following day. Originally, his father, Grand Duke Henri was supposed to go to Saudi Arabia, but with him home recovering from heart surgery, it is Guillaume who has the task of promoting his country.
Source: Wort.lu, Qatar News Agency
The Emir and First Lady of Qatar are finishing up a state visit to Austria Saturday, which coincided with ringing in the new year. Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned arrived in Vienna on Thursday to strengthen ties with the country, by invitation of Austrian President Heinz Fischer.
 REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader On Thursday, there was a signing of an agreement on double taxation and air transport, the latter meaning there will be an increase of flights to both nations. The signing took place in front of the Emir.
The Austrian Chamber of Commerce says its exports to Qatar totaled about 40 million dollars during the first half of 2010.
Also during the visit, the Emir and the Sheikha toured medical facilities.
On Saturday, the royals joined President Fischer, and his wife Margit to see the traditional New Year’s concert with the Vienna Philaharmonic Orchestra at the Golden Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein.
Source: AP, QNA
The announcement of the host countries of two FIFA World Cup events took place in Zurich this Thursday. For nearly a week, royals from the United Kingdom and Qatar were campaigning for their countries to win in 2018 and 2022. However, one nation was left downcast while the other was jubilant.
 Michael Regan/Getty Images First came the announcement of who was to host the 2018. Since earlier this week, Britain’s Prince William – who is President of the Football Association – campaigned for England to host the biggest football tournament in the world alongside Prime Minister David Cameron and football star David Beckham.
Today, the Prince had his final push. “I love football, we English love football and it would be an honour for us to host the World Cup,” he said before the 22 executives of FIFA.
“It’s a supremely powerful force for binding people together.
“I also give you an assurance that England is committed to developing football internationally as a member of your football family.”
William also referred to his forthcoming marriage to Kate Middleton, saying: “We can deliver extraordinary public occasions – I certainly hope as I’m planning quite a big one myself next year.”
But later FIFA’s Sepp Blatter revealed England only got 2 out of 22 votes, meaning it didn’t even make it to the final rounds. Instead, Russia won to be the host nation of the 2018 World Cup
The look on Prince William’s face clearly showed his disappointment. He later expressed sadness for England not winning.
But the royals of Qatar were overjoyed when their tiny Gulf state became the first Mideast nation to win a World Cup bid. That country will host the 2022 Cup.
 Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images “Thank you for believing in change,” Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, said as he accepted the win with his wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned.
The previous day, Mozah made a passionate speech to FIFA, asking them: when?
“Mr Blatter and members of the Executive Committee, I would like to ask a question: When? When do you think is the right time for the World Cup to come to the Middle East?” she asked.
“You will realise from our bid how important this World Cup is for our region. A World Cup in Qatar will send an important message to the world that after 92 years of waiting, we will finally become a recognised part of the global football family,” Sheikha Mozah added.
But now that has been realized for Qatar. The country, barely the size of Connecticut, is among the world’s wealthiest. It originally bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, lost that one but gained the World Cup.
Sources: Press Association, The Peninsula, Stamford Advocate
The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, spoke about the Mideast Peace Talks during a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Emir, along with his wife, Sheikha Mozah, is on a state visit to Germany which began Wednesday.
 JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images “The Israeli side should strive for more wisdom and allow a Palestinian state to be created, which is in the interests of security and stability in the region,” Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani told reporters, through a translator.
The recently established peace talks, that began earlier this month, might fall apart again because Israel is refusing to extend a ban on settlements in the West Bank. That ban originally ended Sunday.
Chancellor Merkel said it is “in everybody’s interest” for the talks to continue.
“This requires of course a readiness to compromise. We believe that the Arab side, and of course the Arab peace initiative, has played a role in (the talks) taking place. But they should be continued,” Merkel told reporters.
Emir Sheikh Hamad is in Germany to strengthen ties with the country. During the press conference, Merkel praised the “dynamic” relationship between Germany and Qatar.
“Qatar as an investment location is very attractive to us, but I will add that Qatar is very welcome (in Germany), with regard to the development of German firms,” she said, adding that the Emirate’s share in German car maker Volkswagen was a prime example.
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