"I want to thank our Qatari friends for sharing in the responsibilities - and successes - in our many shared efforts of cooperation."
- Secretary Michael R. Pompeo, September 14, 2020
Secretary Michael R. Pompeo will travel on November 21 to Doha, Qatar, where he will meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss defense and counterterrorism initiatives, the third U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue held in September, growing bilateral opportunities for trade and investment, and expanded cultural exchanges during the 2021 Qatar Year of Culture.
THE U.S.-QATAR RELATIONSHIP: SECURITY, DEFENSE, AND ECONOMIC STRENGTH
- Qatar is a partner in combating the financing of terrorism, as evinced by the implementation of its new Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) legislation.
- Qatar is an active partner in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and countering violent extremism, particularly through its support to the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF).
- Qatar is one of the United States' closest military allies in the region. Al-Udeid Air Base is home to the Combined Air Operation Center, which hosts 18 nations and is responsible for all Coalition air operations in the Middle East and Central Asia.
- The United States is Qatar's largest trading partner and largest foreign direct investor. Two-way trade totaled more than $8.1 billion in 2019, an increase of 25 percent from the previous year. U.S. exports to Qatar reached $6.5 billion in 2019, an increase of 50 percent from the previous year.
- Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), has invested more than $30 billion in the United States, with planned investment exceeding $45 billion in total, with over half of this concentrated in the real estate and infrastructure sectors.
PROGRESS ON HUMAN RIGHTS
- The United States recognizes Qatar's significant progress towards greater labor rights and combating human trafficking.
- Qatar has inaugurated a humanitarian care shelter and abolished exit permits for nearly 95 percent of all workers, including domestic workers.
- The United States is working with Qatar to advance these efforts and further reforms under the jointly agreed upon frameworks of the 2018 anti-trafficking MOU and the 2019 labor MOU.
FOSTERING PEACE IN AFGHANISTAN
- Qatar has hosted Afghanistan peace negotiations following the U.S.-Taliban Agreement and the U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Declaration. Qatar has been an important partner in fostering peace in Afghanistan and has played an invaluable role as host for Afghanistan peace negotiations.
