A recent visit to the country by a British minister highlighted the importance of UK’s relationship with the Gulf, with Qatar being one of its top partners in the region, the British embassy in Doha has said. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Minister for the Middle East, North Africa and North America James Cleverly arrived in Qatar on January 30 as part of a two-day trip to the Gulf.The foreign secretary and Cleverly had met with GCC foreign ministers at Chevening last December and his trip builds on several agreed outcomes on topics such as the UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement, development partnerships and shared regional security priorities, including Yemen and Iran. The embassy noted that Cleverly met with HE Buthaina bint Ali al-Jabr al-Nuaimi, Qatar's Minister of Education and Higher Education, to discuss higher education partnerships between Qatar and the UK.He also spoke with HE Hassan al-Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy; Nasser al-Khater, CEO of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022; and HE Maj-Gen Abdulaziz Abdullah al-Ansari, Chairman of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee and Director of the International Co-operation Department at the Ministry of Interior, to learn more about Qatar’s preparations ahead of the World Cup tournament and to identify areas where UK can support the delivery of a safe and secure environment.Speaking to HE Lolwah bint Rashid AlKhater, Assistant Foreign Minister and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cleverly laid the groundwork for the inaugural UK-Qatar Strategic Dialogue to further co-operation on security, trade and investment. He visited the Qatar Fund for Development to discuss development priorities with its director-general, HE Khalifa bin Jassim al-Kuwari.
February 01, 2022 | 10:20 PM