His Highness The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani held a meeting with HE Secretary of Defense of the United States of America Lloyd Austin, at the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense (Pentagon).

At the outset of the meeting, HE the U.S. Secretary of Defense welcomed HH The Amir, and praised the strong and strategic relations between the State of Qatar and the United States, noting that the United States is committed to making the partnership with Qatar stronger than it is now.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense also expressed thanks and appreciation for the support the State of Qatar has provided, and continues to provide, to his country in Afghanistan, including the evacuation of more than 124,000 people and the reception of others who left Afghanistan in search of new beginning.

Secretary of Defense reasserted his previous statement from Doha last September, in which he said it is not an exaggeration that the Qatari efforts have saved thousands of lives; and that thanks to the Qatari efforts, Kabul Airport has remained open to aircraft.

Secretary of Defense underlined that HH The Amir, as a reliable partner and a trusted leader, which enhance the defense relations with partners such as Qatar, in light of the two countries' ongoing efforts to ensure security and stability in the region, achieve common objectives, resolve conflicts, provide humanitarian support to civilians in need and de-escalate tensions.

For his part, HH The Amir affirmed the depth of the strategic relations between the State of Qatar and the United States, describing them as a strong defense partnership.

HH The Amir underlined that the State of Qatar supports the United States operations in the Middle East by hosting 10,000 U.S. forces in Qatar. In this regard, HH The Amir expressed his pride and pleasure for providing support for the evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan last summer, which reflects the strength of the partnership between the two countries.

HH The Amir added that Qatar is proud of its cooperation with the United States, expressing gratitude for the cooperation of the U.S. side and for working together with Qatar to secure the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in a manner that achieves security and stability in the region.

HH The Amir expressed pleasure to meet the U.S. Secretary of Defense and exchange points of view on several issues of common concern, stressing his confidence that the partnership between the two countries will contribute to building a better future in the region.

The meeting also discussed the strategic cooperation between the two countries in the defense, military and security fields, in addition to regional and international developments, especially the joint efforts of the two countries to establish peace and stability in the region.

The meeting was attended by a number of Their Excellencies members of the official delegation accompanying HH The Amir, and On the U.S. side it was attended by a number of senior officials.