On Thursday, Britain’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Liz Truss, paid an official visit to Qatar. The visit has been her first foreign trip since she took her new post as Foreign Minister.
Making statements before her trip to the Gulf state, the British FM said, “Closer security and economic ties with Gulf allies will help us deliver jobs and opportunities for people back in the UK and ensure as friends and partners that we are operating from a position of strength in the world.”
The visit came as the second station of Truss’ Gulf tour after visiting Saudi Arabia, where she met with Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Upon her arrival to Doha, Truss and her accompanying delegation were received by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. During the bilateral meeting, issues of common interests and relations between the two countries had reportedly been discussed.
The Amiri Diwan issued a statement indicating that collaboration between the two countries in light of the recent developments in Afghanistan was also among the main issues that were discussed during the meeting.
Truss also met her Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Following the meeting between the two top diplomats, it was announced that the annual Strategic Dialogue between Qatar and the UK would be launched in the first quarter of 2022 in London.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement, as read, “The Strategic Dialogue highlights the strength of their bilateral relationship and the mutually beneficial opportunities for the peoples of both countries to deepen cooperation.”
Within her visit to Qatar, Truss is expected to visit Park View Compound where temporarily hosts Afghan and foreign evacuees.
