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Good morning, Secretary Blinken, and members of the US delegation.

Thank you for the hospitality and warm welcome. I also wish to thank both delegations for their efforts in preparing for this dialogue.

The Fourth Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue represents another milestone in our historically strong partnership. The flourishing ties between our two countries, enabled by the mutual commitments between His Highness, the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and the President of the United States, Joseph Biden, are demonstrated not only by the wide scope of our cooperation, but also by the deep friendship between our nations.

 We are partners in defense, security, investments, education and energy, and we are global leaders in the fight against terrorism. This is possible because our friendship spans decades, across institutions.

This year, our friendship became even closer through Qatar’s evacuation efforts in Afghanistan. Qatar worked closely with the United States and our international partners around the clock, to evacuate more than 70,000 individuals from Afghanistan, including American citizens, female students from across the country, Afghan employees and their families, and journalists from around the world. Operation Allies Refuge would not have been possible without Al Udaid Air Base that served as the processing hub for these operations.

 Qatar was honored to be in a trusted position to step up and rescue so many people, and we will continue to be an instrument of peace and stability in the region. There is still much to be done in Afghanistan, and Qatar remains committed to continue the necessary work, alongside the United States and partners around the world.

We are dedicated to contributing to the stability of Afghanistan and the safety and wellbeing of the Afghan people. The Strategic dialogue today will discuss issues of mutual interest, and will reaffirm our determination to deepen our cooperation in various fields, including strengthening our defense and security partnership. 

Another pillar of our relationship is our commercial partnership. Qatar has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in the US economy. These investments translate into tens of thousands of jobs across the US, and our economic partnership exceeds $200 billion dollars of trade and investment between our countries.

 As a leading producer of natural gas, Qatar serves an important role in helping countries meet their energy needs, while firmly believing in the importance of emission reduction measures, through our global investments in green innovation and technologies, alongside the Qatar Environmental Strategy. Our investments reflect our commitment to care for the environment. As of 2021, more than half of Qatar Investment Authority’s investments in power generation projects are zero-emissions.

 Mr. Secretary, I am grateful for our discussions today, and for all your efforts. I look forward to expanding this extraordinary partnership. Today, our two nations are connected by deep political, cultural, military, and financial bonds, and I believe our greatest opportunities are still ahead of us.

 The year 2022 will be a special one. It marks the 50th anniversary of the alliance between the United States and Qatar, and in November of next year, Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup, which will be the first carbon neutral FIFA World Cup. This year we also celebrate the Qatar-USA year of culture which contains a number of events celebrating our long and friendly relations across the years.

 I look forward to welcoming you and your team in Doha for the 5th Strategic Dialogue, and I personally invite you to watch World Cup matches together in Qatar. I wish your US-team the best of luck tonight in Cincinnati.

Thank you.