5th Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue explores ways to strengthen relations

The fifth Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue began Tuesday in Doha where HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed current political issues while contemplating ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.The opening session addressed several regional and international issues, especially the developments in Palestine and the negotiations to return to the joint action plan, Russian-Ukrainian crisis, energy and food security, cooperation in the human rights field, and several issues of common interest.At a press conference, HE Sheikh Mohamed said that the two parties discussed the developments in the Iranian nuclear agreement, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and the Palestinian issue. "We discussed several issues,” HE the Minister said while thanking the US for its support to Qatar in hosting the World Cup."We are partnering in the region and abroad to resolve differences, end conflicts and deepen economic relations,” Blinken said, adding the current stage is the peak of US-Qatar relations. "We meet at what is a high point of the five decade-long diplomatic relationship between our countries on every issue that matters to our nations. Our collaboration, fair to say, is deeper and our people are the better off for it. We're also deepening economic ties from civil aviation to renewable energy. Qatari and American businessmen and innovators are creating new opportunities for people in both of our countries. Qatar has provided economic assistance to the Palestinian people, helped pay the salaries of security forces in Lebanon, and brokered peace in Chad,” he noted.HE the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the US Secretary of State signed a letter of intent between the government Qatar and the US government on the World Cup Legacy (2022-2026).Under it, both parties announced their intention to exchange World Cup knowledge and the drawn conclusions and build on the success of Qatar in making the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 accessible for persons with disabilities and apply the learned lessons in future tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 that will be held in the US, and find places that allow more inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities.Both parties also affirmed their intention to increase technical exchange and exchange of knowledge to combat human trafficking, including those with regards to sporting events, and work together to introduce and implement fair employment practices to protect migrant workers, exchange knowledge in the field of the labour protection, and establish a joint work group to develop specific steps to enhance the current letter of intent.HE Sheikh Mohamed also met with Blinken on the sidelines of the Fifth Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue.During the meeting, they discussed the close relations between the two countries , international issues of common concern, especially the developments of the negotiations to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with the United States, the situation in the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Lebanon, and the repercussions of the crisis between Russia and Ukraine and ways to resolve it peacefully, in addition to several issues of common interest.Blinken praised the distinguished organisation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. (With inputs from QNA)