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Qatar News Agency reported that King Felipe VI conferred the decoration on Al Hamar, who now serves as Qatar’s ambassador to Germany after completing his mission in Spain. The award was handed over by Pascual Navarro Rios, Spain’s ambassador to Germany, during the event held in the German capital. This distinction acknowledges the diplomatic work that enhanced engagement and laid stronger foundations for cooperation between the two countries over five years.
Al Hamar has built an extensive diplomatic record that includes earlier postings as Qatar’s ambassador to Syria, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore before arriving in Madrid in 2019. His career began in the foreign ministry in 1996 after earlier government service and studies at the University of Arizona. Qatar News Agency noted that the honour forms part of a pattern in which Spanish authorities recognise outgoing envoys who have advanced mutual interests.
The Order of Civil Merit was created in 1926 to reward civic virtues and exceptional contributions to the Spanish state by both citizens and foreigners. A Spanish foreign ministry assessment describes it as recognising merits of a civil nature or important services that benefit the nation. King Felipe VI serves as the grand master of the order and all such decorations are conferred in his name.
During Al Hamar’s time in Spain the two countries marked five decades of diplomatic relations through a joint declaration that produced 12 agreements covering expanded cooperation. Qatar News Agency highlighted how these steps reflected a shared focus on developing ties in economic, cultural and political domains. The partnerships have grown steadily since formal relations began in the 1970s.
Spanish trade statistics place exports to Qatar at 250 million euros and imports at 204 million euros in the 12 months through August 2026, according to data compiled from the Ministry of Development. The United Nations COMTRADE database recorded Qatar’s exports to Spain at 492 million dollars in 2024, led by mineral fuels, plastics and aluminium. These flows illustrate the practical economic dimension that diplomats such as Al Hamar have helped nurture.
Spain’s ambassador to Qatar reaffirmed the countries’ joint commitment to international law, peaceful conflict resolution and sustainable development at a National Day event earlier this month, a Qatar Tribune account showed. Preparations for the next round of the bilateral strategic dialogue were also discussed alongside collaboration in energy, infrastructure and counterterrorism. Such activities build directly on the relational framework advanced throughout Al Hamar’s service in Madrid.
