By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL- On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the White House, announcing Qatar will now be known as a non-NATO ally. Biden said he will make the designation official and already informed Congress. Biden added that Qatar has played a central role and that this designation is “to reflect the importance of our relationship.” Al-Thani is the first Gulf Arab leader to visit since Biden took office and Qatar is now the third Gulf country after Kuwait and Bahrain to be given the title of major non-NATO ally. This title is designated to close friends who have strategic working relationships with the U.S. military and Biden commented: “I think it’s long overdue.”
Besides expressing his thanks to the Emir for Qatar’s “invaluable help” during the Afghan evacuation – Biden said that the 50-year friendship has been a cornerstone of their mutual cooperation and support. The Emir expressed his gratitude for the decades long friendship and reiterated the importance of the U.S. as a strategic partner. The importance of Qatar can be underscored by its brokered talks with the Taliban in 2020 that paved the way for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. It has also been instrumental in getting the U.S. back on track to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
The Emir said that some of the topics he plans to discuss with Biden include security in the Middle East region, equal rights for the Palestinians and the crucial provisions of natural gas to Europe in the event Russia invades Ukraine. Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of liquified natural gas though analysts and experts have stated that Qatar’s supply is not large enough to sustain a long-term supply to the EU. Some analysts pointed out that though the U.S. is one of the main producers of natural gas, the fact is that it doesn’t have the production facilities necessary for exporting large quantities or the shipping capability to reach distant locations quickly.
