/United Nations/ Former Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Qatar to QNA: HH the Amir's Participation in UNGA is Significant Reminder of Qatar's Active Role

Washington, September 17 (QNA) - Member of Board of Directors of Qatar America Institute for Culture (QAIC) and Former Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Qatar William Grant stressed the significance of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's annual visit to the United Nations and His Highness's participation in the works of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to remind people about Qatar's active role that it plays in the region and in the world. Grant said that His Highness expected speech before the UNGA 78 and the meetings His Highness will hold there will reflect Qatar's strong relationship with the United Nations and its support for multilateral activities like the work of the UN. In remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), he added that the relations between Qatar and the UN are strong and continuously developing, pointing to the presence of a number of UN agencies in Doha. The US official praised the role played by Qatar regionally and internationally and the successful mediations that Qatar has made on various pressing topics in different areas around the world, noting, in that regard, Qatar's assistance in evacuating Western and US citizens from Afghanistan. Regarding the US-Qatar bilateral relations, Grant said that the relations are solid and continuously developing. The cooperation between the two countries is enhancing in various fields, including the military field and education exchanges, in addition to the close coordination regarding foreign policy matters. He also pointed out that the strategic dialogue between the two countries, which started in 2018 and has continued annually since then, aims to enhance cooperation between the two sides and develop it in various fields. "The Strategic dialogue is not one meeting. It is a series of meetings on various topics and issues; political and economic issues, labor rights and protecting workers, and countering terrorism financing. We have a long list of issues," he said. He also stressed that the two countries would continue to exchange information and research regarding ways to improve the production of clean energy as both countries are among the biggest producers and exporters of energy around the world. He said that the economic and investment cooperation between the two countries is on the right track and continuously developing, noting the presence of US companies operating in the State of Qatar for years. He added that Qatar is seeking to promote investment in non-energy fields to diversify its economy, noting that a number of American companies are interested in that and looking at that. On the other hand, there are Qatari companies that look to the United States for investment, and QatarEnergy certainly already has some investments in the US. Additionally, the Qatar Investment Authority is always actively looking for good investments in the US, particularly in cutting-edge fields like health technology and financial technology, things that are very modern and produce good returns. Regarding educational and cultural cooperation, Grant said that there is extensive cooperation in the education field, noting that there have been branches of five American universities in Qatar for several years, which attract a large number of students, and that Qatari students study at universities in the United States and have a wonderful experience that helps them develop their abilities and gives them the opportunity to know about the US. He added that this exchange is not only carried out by governments, as there are students who come to the US on their own. He said that the US embassy where he used to work was the sponsor for various visiting programs, stressing that there is a growing cultural exchange between the two countries. He also pointed out that the Qatar America Institute for Culture (QAIC), which is in the heart of downtown Washington, is a private organization that puts on exhibits and programs to try to educate American visitors regarding the culture of Qatar and the Arab world at large. Concluding his remarks to QNA, the Former Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Qatar William Grant praised the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the impressive success it achieved, saying that the tournament certainly elevated the profile of Qatar across the world. "The next World Cup in 2026 will be hosted by the United States, along with Canada and Mexico. So, now the Qatar World Cup is over, and we are in the process of preparing for ours. And I know there's communication between the teams in Qatar and the organizing committee in the United States regarding lessons learned and things that we can do in our World Cup that work so well with the one we cut," he added. (QNA)