A year after successful inaugural Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue held on January 30, 2018 in Washington, leaders of two friendly countries are meeting tomorrow in Doha to strengthen existing strong relations between strategic allies. The Second Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue will be co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Qatar and the United States, in the inaugural Strategic Dialogue last year, had discussed the Gulf crisis and expressed the need for an immediate resolution respecting Qatar’s sovereignty. The two governments had also expressed concern about the harmful security, economic and human impacts of the crisis. The United States had also expressed its readiness to work jointly with Qatar to deter and confront an external threat to Qatar’s territorial integrity that is inconsistent with the United Nations Charter.
Commenting on Second Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Lulwah Al Khater, said on Thursday that the Second Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue, aims to strengthen cooperation with the important American ally and develop bilateral relations which are strong and built on common values and mutual respect.
The Qatari-US Strategic Dialogue will include high-level discussions on a number of political, economic, defence and cultural spheres and will witness the signing of a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) that enhance cooperation in the interests of the Qatari and US peoples, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. In the first Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue, the two countries had also discussed specific areas of partnership, including defense, counterterrorism, combatting extremism, and trade and investment.
In the inaugural dialogue, the United States acknowledged Qatar’s generous humanitarian role bilaterally and multilaterally through the work of various UN agencies, in supporting forcibly displaced populations, and in assisting refugees including millions of vulnerable young children and women.
Apart from close cooperation in defence, political and security areas, Qatar and the United States committed to boosting bilateral trade. They welcomed the role of US companies in Qatar’s development and of Qatari investment in US firms and jobs in last year’s strategic dialogue. As well, both countries recognized the importance of bilateral investment and reiterated their commitment to discuss bilateral investment frameworks that address tax policies and reduce regulatory barriers. Qatar and the United States, in the First Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue, signed various Memoranda of Understanding and Letters of Intent in the fields of bilateral trade, investment, and technology. The two governments on January 30, 2018 expressed their mutual desire to further strengthen their bilateral relations in the energy sector, signing a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation between Qatar and the United States.
