Defence cooperation key pillar of ties with Qatar: UK Foreign Secretary

The Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom David Lammy expressed his appreciation for the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to the United Kingdom, noting the deep, close and very important friendship between the two sides.In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), the British Foreign Secretary said that Qatar is "one of the UK's most significant trading partners in the Middle East. Qatar is a critical partner on defence, and of course it's a world leader in global mediation, working with the UK on key foreign policy challenges." Lammy stressed that His Highness the Amir's visit is an opportunity to celebrate the deep, long lasting and sustaining bilateral relationship, especially as it is the first state visit under the new British government.Lammy added that the UK -Qatar defence and security cooperation is a fundamental and important pillar of the strategic relationship, pointing out that the joint operations that occurred between the two countries months ago are absolutely central to security across the Middle East.He expressed his pride that the Qatar Amiri Air Force and the Royal Air Force are working hand in hand in a joint typhoon squadron based at RAF Coningsby, noting that it's the first UK joint air squadron since the second World War."None of us want to see a regional war or escalation," Lammy added, stressing that Qatar has a strategic role in many of the key policy areas that dominate the international agenda today, including mediation to stop the war in the region "We've seen this of course, in the Middle East in Gaza most recently, but also importantly Afghanistan. And actually Qatar plays a role also in Ukraine. It plays a role with the problems that we see in Venezuela. So Qatar has got this immense ability to mediate. Its one of its unique selling points in terms of foreign policy."He pointed out that the UK has deep ties right across the Gulf and right across the region with enduring partnerships on security and prosperity, noting that the British relations with each country has deep roots."The Gulf matters hugely to us and Qatar is a very important pillar of that panoply of relationships. Deepening our mutually beneficial trade partnerships also across the Gulf is a priority. We're working towards a GCC free trade area and we're very grateful for Qatar support in driving that forward," he said.Lammy concluded his statements to QNA by noting that the UK is looking forward to increase joint action with Qatar on international and humanitarian issues, particularly humanitarian and developmental aid, pointing out that the relations between the two countries will witness further partnerships and cooperation across all fields, including climate and clean energy.