Washington, US— US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is going to arrive in Doha on Monday to support Team USA in its first 2022 FIFA World Cup match and to attend the US-Qatar joint Strategic Dialogue, a State Department statement said.
Blinken will recognize Doha’s important contribution to international sports diplomacy, as the Gulf country hosts the World Cup.
“The Secretary will be cheering on the US Men’s National Team in its first game of the World Cup, as the United States takes on Wales,” the statement said.
Blinken will be in Qatar between 21 and 22 November, where he is scheduled to meet senior Qatari officials, including Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
“He will also recognize Qatar’s important contribution to international sports diplomacy as it hosts the World Cup[…]he will reiterate US appreciation for the long-standing partnership between the United States and Qatar and discuss a range of priorities,” the statement said.
The Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue, which will be held on Tuesday, is expected to address security cooperation, trade and investment, humanitarian assistance and human rights.
The annual high-profile meeting, which was launched in 2018in Washington, brings together Qatari and US officials to address issues of mutual concern, and often results in agreements boosting bilateral relations between the two states.
Last year’s meeting took place in Washington just months after the US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, ending America’s longest war.
At the time, Qatar had stepped in to conduct history’s largest air lift of people.
Doha safely evacuated at least 80,000 Afghans and foreigners, including thousands of Americans.
In the aftermath of the US and NATO troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Washington moved its embassy from Kabul to Doha to allow diplomats to carry out operations outside of the country.
During the previous Strategic Dialogue, Qatar and the US signed an agreement enabling Doha to represent Washington’s interest in Afghanistan following the closure of the American embassy in Kabul.
Qatar also hosts the Al-Udeid Airbase, the largest American military post in the Middle East, which is used extensively by the US for its operations in the region.
The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1972, which marked the beginning of a strategic alliance between them.
Their cooperation was further highlighted this year with the US joining Qatar’s international partners in providing security for the World Cup.