Qatar is strategic partner of UK in Middle East - UK PM

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson affirmed that Qatar is an important strategic partner of the UK in the Middle East, in the fields of trade, defense, culture, and education.

The Prime Minister of the UK said meeting the Qatar Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the Prime Minister's residence (10 Downing Street) once again will be taking the relations between the two countries towards a better future for their peoples.

In an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) from London, Johnson said that the ties between the two countries have deep roots and help provide security and prosperity for the peoples of the two countries, explaining that in light of these difficult times that the world is going through, there is a lot they can do together to deepen this partnership, from boosting investment to diversifying energy supplies and advancing green technology.

Qatar and the UK intend to launch an annual strategic dialogue between the two countries, to constitute a major shift in the level of their close partnership, a development in relations that helps address issues of common concern related to development and sustainability, the climate change crisis, conflict resolution, and defense and security issues.

The UK considers Qatar an important partner at the economic level. The military relations between the two countries are witnessing a strong partnership, thanks to the joint will of the leadership in both countries, to push relations to the highest level, while the volume of Qatari investments in Britain exceeds 40 billion pounds.

The visit of Qatar Amir to the United Kingdom coincides with the issuance of a report by the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) on the volume of trade and economic relations between the UK and Qatar. The volume of trade exchange between the two countries amounted to 4.8 billion pounds last year, and total UK exports to Qatar during that period amounted to 2.6 billion pounds, while UK imports from Qatar during the same period amounted to 2.2 billion pounds, an increase of 23.8 percent compared to 2020.

The military relations between the two countries are witnessing a strong partnership, thanks to the joint will of the leadership in both countries, to push relations to the highest level, while the volume of Qatari investments in Britain exceeds 40 billion pounds.

The report showed that Qatar plays a pivotal role in securing UK's gas imports in the face of the global energy crisis, as Qatari exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cover the largest proportion of UK's LNG.