Washington DC, June 8: The White House has made an announcement on Friday United States President Donald Trump will host Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Washington DC, as the Gulf state still suffer the two-year economic besiegement imposed by US-backed Arab rivals.
According to Al-Jazeera news reports, the emir is expected to travel to Washington DC to hold a meeting with Trump on July 9 for talks related to security, politics, as well as, counterterrorism cooperation between two sides, as per the announcement.
The development came amidst efforts by the US to ratchet up pressure on Iran, the Gulf power.
The White House said, “The visit will build on the long-standing partnership between the United States and Qatar and further strengthen our already substantial economic and security ties.”
The US has sought to continue relations and cooperation with Qatar, which maintained friendly relations with Iran, as well as, Saudi Arabia has also cooperated with US “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
For around two years, Riyadh and its regional allies – Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)- have blocked Qatar aircraft from entering their region or airspace, imposed ban over most Qatari visitors, cut short shipping and trade links, as well as, shut their borders.
Qatar is also scheduled to participate in a two-day Bahrain conference on June 25-26 on the US administration’s “Israeli-Palestinian peace” plan.
This bilateral meeting between Trump and emir will mark the first meet since the US president had hosted Sheikh Tamim last April in the White House.