DUSHANBE, June 25, 2013, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan opened its diplomatic mission in Doha, Qatar on June 24 after Tajik Ambassador Ardasher Qodiri presented his credentials to the Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, Qodiri also handed over to Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah President Rahmon’s message of greetings for Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim.
Meanwhile international media outlets report that Qatar”s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani on June 25 handed power to his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, taking the rare step for a Gulf Arab ruler of voluntarily ceding power to try to ensure a smooth succession.
According to Reuters, the 61-year-old emir said in a seven-minute speech aired on state television that it was time for a new generation to take over following his 18 years at the helm of the small, rich state.
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is an absolute monarchy under the leadership of the Al Thani family, whose origins can be traced back to the Banu Tamim tribe.
Before the discovery of oil, the economy of the Qatari region focused on fishing and pearl hunting. After the introduction of the Japanese cultured pearl onto the world market in the 1920s and 1930s, Qatar”s pearling industry crashed. Oil was discovered in Qatar in 1940, in Dukhan Field. The discovery transformed the state”s economy. Now, the country has a high standard of living. With no income tax, Qatar (along with Bahrain) is one of the countries with the lowest tax rates in the world. Qatar reportedly has the highest GDP per capita in the world as of 2012. It relies heavily on foreign labor to grow its economy, to the extent that migrant workers comprise 94% of the workforce. The economic growth of Qatar has been almost exclusively based on its petroleum and natural gas industries, which began in 1940. Qatar is the leading exporter of liquefied natural gas. In 2012, it was estimated that Qatar would invest over $120 billion in the energy sector in the next ten years. The country is a member state of OPEC, having joined the organization in 1961.
