Washington / Information Office / April 16

The governments of the State of Qatar and the United States of America convened the first meeting of the policy working group of the Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue in Washington today.

The Qatari delegation was led by HE Director of the Department of Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Khalid bin Fahad Al Khater, while the US side was headed by HE Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Timothy Lenderking.

The meeting discussed means of supporting and developing relations between the two countries and enhancing cooperation in the fields of diplomacy, regional security, military cooperation, civil aviation, education and culture, and tackled a number of regional and international issues of common concern.

The two sides agreed that the policy working group will meet every six months on a rotational basis, and that the next meeting will be held in October 2019 in Doha to discuss the progress made in the issues and topics addressed in the first meeting.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides stressed the strength of the historical relations between the two countries and the importance of taking them to wider horizons.

The meeting was attended by HE Director of the Department of American Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Issa Mohammed Al Mannai and senior officials of the Ministries of Defense, Education and Higher Education, and the Civil Aviation Authority.