US and Qatar are partners, allies, and friends: Amir

*Amir, US President attend dinner banquet hosted by US Treasury Secretary *Trump calls Amir 'a friend for a long time' and a great ally *Trump praises Qatari investments that create jobs in the US *Qatar-US mutual economic partnership estimated at $185bnHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and President of the United States of America Donald Trump attended a dinner banquet hosted by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in honour of the Amir and the delegation accompanying him.The banquet, held at the headquarters of the US Treasury in Washington DC on Monday, was attended by Acting US Secretary of Defence Dr Mark Esper, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Managing Director and Chairwoman of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde, Ivanka Trump and Senior Adviser to the US President Jared Kushner.It was also attended by a number of current and former members of Congress, and a number of American politicians, businessmen and economists.Welcoming His Highness the Amir and the accompanying delegation, the Treasury Secretary noted that the Amir's visits to the United States underscored the depth of the bilateral cooperation between the two friendly countries. He also welcomed the US President, members of the government and business leaders.Addressing the gathering, Trump praised the friendship with the Amir and said he was looking forward to meeting him at the White House the next day.Trump said the meeting will be positive, and that the talks will include many areas of trade and military. Highlighting Qatari investments in his country, the president said the Amir has been a great ally and helped in establishing a magnificent military installation, which people haven't seen in a long while.Trump added: "This is a great room. Many friends. And everybody I know and recognise just from reading about you and your great successes.""Tamim, you've been a friend of mine for a long time, before I did this presidential thing, and we feel very comfortable with each other," Trump said."Investments that you make in the United States -- one of the largest in the world -- but the investments that you make are very much appreciated. And I know the planes you're buying and all of the other things you're investing in. And I view it differently; I view it as jobs. Because for me, it's jobs. And today, we set a new record for jobs. We're setting it almost on a daily basis."His Highness the Amir thanked President Trump and the treasury secretary, stressing that the strategic relations between the two countries have witnessed great progress recently through bilateral strategic dialogues between the two friendly countries.The following is the Amir's speech during the dinner banquet:President Trump, Friends. It is a great honour to join you again in Washington DC. Thank you for your continued hospitality. And a personal thank you to Secretary Mnuchin for hosting this dinner tonight.My visit this week will reaffirm the ideals we share, and tonight we are here to celebrate this strong economic partnership.Our nations share a commitment to human capital, working to create resilient, knowledge-based economies with an emphasis on education, openness, and opportunity for all.Unfortunately, there are some in my region who do not share our beliefs. In today's world, at times alliances have to be made with necessary partners, and certain allies are not actually friends.But with the United States and Qatar, we are partners, allies, and friends.Qatar and the US are working together to eradicate terrorism and its financing, wherever it may take root, to ensure a more peaceful and secure world.We continue our mutual commitment to remain closely invested in both military and security alliance, as we are expanding Al Udeid Airbase to accommodate US troops and their families. We are also partnering with charities here like the Bob Woodruff Foundation to support veterans.And our political cooperation in the wider region creates stability, so that economic development can flourish.Together, our two countries continue to seek more investment opportunities to further enhance our common prosperity.Qatar is one of the fastest growing economies in the Middle East, and American companies are a treasured part of Qatar's success and development. We have a long history of exchanging expertise and resources in oil and gas to make both countries top energy exporters.Our partnerships also keep growing in many non-energy sectors, one being the exciting back-to-back World Cups: Qatar in 2022 and the US in 2026.This year, our mutual economic partnership is estimated at $185bn , a number which we both intend to grow. This has already created more than half a million American jobs.And in Qatar, America is the number 1 source of imports. You should all be happy to hear that the there is a trade deficit between our countries that favours the United States.We are looking forward to the continued partnership, alliance and friendship of our two nations, and to the health, prosperity and happiness of the people of the United States of America and Qatar.