WASHINGTON: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said the holding of the Third Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue is a demonstration of the flourishing relations between the two countries.
In his speech at the opening session in Washington on Monday, he said: “We are not only strengthening the existing economic, military and security cooperation between us, but also expanding it to include other equally important areas such as education, culture and development.”
He pointed out the signing of the MoU for the Qatar-US 2021 Year of Culture and the MoU with the United States Agency for International Development and Qatar’s support to Fulbright scholarships, reflected the range and the depth of joint ties.
He underscored Qatar’s continued constructive engagement despite the unique regional challenges that “our country has successfully managed during the past three years”.
Commercial partnership
Sheikh Mohammed said: “Our commercial partnership remains robust and it is indeed stronger than ever.” In this regard, he pointed out Qatar has invested more than $200bn in the US economy and the US has been an integral investor in Qatar and Qatar’s development.
He said: “Together, this investment translates into tens of thousands of jobs and life-changing opportunities for our people. We look forward to expanding these relations, through upcoming trade and investment promotion events.”
He said these events will include a roadshow in 2021 involving multiple delegations to several US cities to explore partnerships in technology, investment, energy and other areas.
He stated: “We are also looking forward to our upcoming discussions on issues of common interest and reaffirm our commitment to deepen the partnership in areas that also include joint political and regional interests. We will also discuss a range of defence and security issues, including shared interests, opportunities for regional cooperation, mechanisms for the defeat of malign threats arrayed against us.”
Forefront of partners
He said Qatar and the US are at the forefront of partners in international anti-terrorism coalitions and will continue to strengthen coordination and enhance cooperation in a way that reflects the common values between them derived from international law and security standards.
Despite regional challenges, including the ongoing blockade against Qatar, cooperation between the two countries has strengthened continuously since the first dialogue was held in January 2018, he said.
He thanked the US for its support for the Kuwaiti mediation to lift the blockade on the basis of respecting the sovereignty and independence of Qatar, stressing Qatar’s foreign policy reflects the values of peace, stability and prosperity, which are the elements that represent the state’s national values.