Qatar-US relationship has extended beyond military cooperation, Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires of the United States to Qatar William Grant has said at an event of Community College of Qatar (CCQ)

“We have had diplomatic relations with Qatar and long-standing historical connections. Today, our strong and positive relationship certainly extends beyond military cooperation, and we have a regular senior-level discussion, so that we sync up on a range of issues.”

The Community College of Qatar (CCQ), in collaboration with the US Embassy in Qatar, recently organised a special seminar titled ‘The Historical Relations Between the US and Qatar: Past, Present, and Future’, addressed by Grant.

The seminar was held within the sphere of developing CCQ students’ awareness of global interdependence and broadening their knowledge spectrum toward molding them into true world citizens.

CCQ President Dr Mohamed Al Naemi; Vice President, Dr Khalid Shams Al Abdulqader; and the College Dean, Dr Abdallah Hazaimeh; students, faculty and staff, are also present during the event.

Speaking on GCC crisis during question and answer session at the end of the seminar, Grant said: “The US wants to see this dispute resolved.

In 2017, we made some efforts to try to get the parties to talk to each other.

Obviously, that did not succeed. Our Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s message, when he came to Doha on January 13, was that the US has not disengaged from the region. And our message to all of (the countries involved) is that we want you to figure out what the problem is, and get back to a situation where there’s greater cooperation again.”

At the outset of the seminar, he explained to the audience that the United States’ approach to its foreign relations and its role in the Middle East, he mentioned the long-standing relations between the US and Qatar, as well as the current state of affairs between the two countries.

The US Charge d’ Affaires cited the 2nd Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue meeting, recently held in Doha, as an example of the broad-based cooperation and high level of engagement between the two nations.

“Various agencies of the two governments came together and set the agenda for cooperation on a range of issues for the next 12 months. We signed some agreements and held meetings between our officials responsible for labour matters, culture, and even space. Other areas we are also involved with are law enforcement, trade and investment, and security for the World Cup in 2022.”

Following Grant’s talk, attendees enriched the conversation with a number of important questions and inquiries.

Taking centre stage in the discussion was the dispute in the Gulf region.

Other important questions tackled during the seminar involved the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, US policies in Iraq, the situation in Syria and Yemen, the US stance on Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, free speech, global warming, and the evolution of US foreign relations since the 1940s.

-The Peninsula Qatar