HE Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the United States, hosted the reception celebrating Qatar National Day on December 7th, at the US Library of Congress. The event celebrated the importance of a strong U.S.-Qatar relationship and featured two prominent Members of Congress as guest speakers.
Close ties and partnership between the two countries were the main themes in remarks by Ambassador Al-Thani. He stated that all aspects of the bilateral relationship have been strengthened during the past year, especially cooperation in fighting terrorists and their sources of financing, joint military training and operations, as well has business and cultural ties.
Al-Thani said, “We continue to implement our 2030 national vision, moving forward with our economic, human and social development goals.”
Following His Excellency the Ambassador, Senator Chris Coons (D-Delaware) told the more than 1000 invited guests at the annual event that he is thankful for the “steadfast partnership in tackling joint challenges in the Middle East, including terrorism” across the region. He said, “The U.S. diplomats and military leaders I’ve heard from praise Qatar’s cooperation and its role as a valued security partner.”
Coons also thanked Qatar for its “good faith efforts” to resolve disputes in the Gulf region.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi cited the cultural, educational, business and other connections between Qatar and the U.S., recalling her many trips to the country and its capital, Doha. But she said the most important connection is “about the national security of our two countries.” She thanked Qatar for hosting two U.S. military bases in the country, including Al Udeid with its 11,000 U.S. military personnel and the center for launching strikes against terrorists in the region including Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The U.S.-Qatar relationship is a very important one,” she said. “Let us all work to make it even stronger.”
Also attending was U.S. Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin, who recently met with HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud, Chief Executive Officer of the Qatar Investment Authority in Washington. The meeting focused increasing bilateral investment. Qatar has already committed $45 billion for investments in the U.S.