Commending Qatar and the U.S. on 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. BACON. Madam Speaker, it is with great personal satisfaction that I commend the United States and Qatar on fifty years of diplomatic relations.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, I had the honor to command an expeditionary squadron that was based in Qatar. This enabled me to work closely with our Qatari allies, who worked closely with the American military. I gained great respect for their dedication to our shared missions. I was also able to establish friendships with a number of Qatari military leaders; relations that have been renewed every time I have visited Qatar in subsequent years.
America's relationship with Qatar was not originally based upon military or strategic principles. In fact, when the United States first established diplomatic relations with Qatar 1971, the new Persian Gulf nation was hardly a military power.
In 1916, Qatar became a British protectorate, which meant that Britain agreed to defend Qatar from all aggression by sea and support in case of a land attack. When Qatar declared its independence in September 1971, no one could have predicted that this small Persian Gulf nation would develop into an economic and strategic powerhouse.
It is a tribute to leaders and its citizens that Qatar has accomplished so much in so many different areas. Much of the credit goes to the royal family and other political leaders who allocated spending on social programs, including housing, health, education, and pensions. Over time this enabled the relatively small population of Qatar to become better educated, healthier and committed to the welfare of the nation.
Qatar's leaders were well aware of the nation's precarious position as a major energy supplier, but without the means to defend itself and its resources. Thus, the nation began to build up its defense capabilities.
In 1991, Qatar played a significant role in the Gulf War, particularly during the Battle of Khafji in which Qatari tanks rolled through the streets of the town and engaged Iraqi troops. In addition, Qatar allowed coalition troops from Canada to use the country as an airbase to launch aircraft from Qatar. Qatar also permitted air forces from the United States and France to operate in its territories.
In the aftermath of this, both nations agreed upon the need for a Defense Cooperation Agreement. This pact, which has subsequently been expanded, has served as the basis for military collaboration. In 1996, Qatar built Al Udeid Air Base at the cost of more than $1 billion.
Significantly, military cooperation between the United States and Qatar continued to expand. In 2003, Qatar served as the U.S. Central Command headquarters and one of the main launching sites of the invasion of Iraq. As mentioned, I was able to participate in this operation.
Al Udeid is now home to the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. In a region sensitive about the presence of U.S. military forces, it is notable that Qatar is not only allowing expansion of Al Udeid, but also funding it and managing the construction. In fact, the Qatari government has provided over $8 billion in funding for al-Udeid Air Base since 2003. After renovations and expansions, Al Udeid can accommodate up to 120 aircraft and 10,000 troops. The Al Udeid Air Base has the longest runway in the Gulf region, about 5000 meters or 15,000 feet.
President Joe Biden met in Washington with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on January 31, 2022. This meeting was the first that President Biden had with a regional leader since he became president. It was a clear signal that Washington views Doha as an important asset in the region. This was underscored when the President told the Emir that the United States would nominate Qatar as a ``Major Non-NATO Ally'' (MNNA).
This MNNA status recognizes the bilateral security cooperation between the United States and Qatar has matured to the level beyond the already deep defense partnership that had developed and nourished over the course of decades. The MNNA status recognizes Qatar's growing responsibility as a strong and enduring U.S. partner in countering violent extremism, combating terrorism, and deterring external aggressors. It also reinforces U.S. military access to Qatari military facilities, allows prepositioning of U.S. armor and other military materiel, and supports U.S. training of Qatar's military forces.
American officials have come to realize the potential Qatar offered to American interests in the region, both politically as well as militarily. Soon after the Gulf War, the emir announced his intention for Qatar to move more toward democracy and permitted more liberal press and municipal elections as a precursor to expected parliamentary elections. A new constitution was approved via public referendum in April 2003 and came into effect in June 2005. Economic, social, and democratic reforms occurred in the proceeding years.
In 2003, a woman was appointed to the cabinet as minister of education. In October 2021, Qataris voted in the Gulf Arab state's first legislative elections for two-thirds of the advisory Shura Council, and turnout was over 63 percent. There were women candidates and women have been appointed to seats in the Council.
Qatar has also been an invaluable asset on a number of diplomatic fronts. Qatar quietly assisted in ending the Israel-Hamas war in May 2021 and continues to be helpful in seeking to improve Israeli relations with Palestinians. Qatar is also working to reduce tensions between the United States and Iran.
Without a doubt, Qatar's most significant diplomatic and humanitarian efforts were in the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from Afghanistan after the American withdrawal. Qatar was uniquely positioned because of its ability to speak to various parties on the ground and its willingness to escort people through Taliban-controlled Kabul.
Qataris helped to vet individuals seeking to leave the country and organized aspects of their departure. Many of the flights that enabled people to flee were on Qatari airlines. In addition, a large percentage of the new refugees were brought to Qatar, which arranged housing and other shelter for them as well as food, medicine and other provisions. At one point, the Qatari military was proving over 50,000 meals per day to the newly arrived refugees. There are still thousands of Afghan refugees in Qatar, where they continue to receive much needed care and assistance.
On September 7, 2021, only weeks after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to Doha to acknowledge the transit and care of the evacuees from Afghanistan and to thank Qatar for its vital assistance.
Secretary Blinken complimented Qatar's efforts in the evacuation: ``. . . you've facilitated the safe transit of more than 55,000 people. That's nearly half of those who were evacuated in the entire evacuation from Kabul. These are massive numbers. And as I've said a number of times, we spend a lot of time back in Washington talking about numbers: the total number of evacuees, American citizens, and so forth. But you know better than anyone that behind each of these numbers is a real person, is a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, a son, a daughter.''
Qatar's role did not end with the evacuation. Since the United States does not recognize the Taliban dominated government in Afghanistan, all American interests in Afghanistan are now being handled by the Qatari Embassy and other offices in Kabul.
While the military and diplomatic cooperation that has developed over the years is impressive and vital to the security interests of both nations, there are so many other areas in which the relations between our two nations have flourished over the course of the past fifty years.
The United States and Qatar have extensive economic ties. As Qatar's largest foreign direct investor and its single largest source of imports, the United States has developed a robust trade relationship with Qatar, with over 120 U.S. companies operating in country. U.S. exports to Qatar increased by 47.7 percent from 2018 to 2019, totaling $6.5 billion in 2019.
The United States is a leading equipment supplier and partner for Qatar's oil and gas industry, and U.S. companies have played a significant role in the development of the oil and gas sector. In addition to energy, U.S. companies also export to Qatar's defense, aviation, ICT, healthcare, food, and engineering/construction sectors.
U.S. imports from Qatar include liquefied natural gas, aluminum, fertilizers, and sulfur. The United States and Qatar signed a trade and investment framework agreement and participate in annual bilateral Strategic Dialogues.
Qatar announced plans to invest $45 billion in the United States, which will result in an additional 50,000 American jobs.
But Qatar's financial dealings in the United States go well beyond investments and the import-export of goods and services. Qatar is extremely philanthropic. Qatar donated $100 million in aid to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast in August 2005. After Hurricane Harvey hit the state of Texas from August to September 2017, Qatar's donated $30 million in aid to help rebuild Texas. Qatar and Qatari foundations have also made significant donations to worthy causes as autism, both research and care for individuals.
Qatar provides education for all of its citizens, and a majority of its college graduates are now women.
Major education ties have been developed over the course of the fifty-year relationship. Annually, hundreds of Qatari students study in the United States. In addition, six U.S. universities have branch campuses in Qatar's Education City complex. There are Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ), Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ), Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar), and Northwestern University.
In sum, over the course of the fifty-year relationship, the United States and Qatar have developed military and strategic ties, cooperated on major diplomatic initiatives, enlarged financial and economic relations, supported worthy causes and educational advancement for students in both countries.
Significantly, although our two nations located in different regions of the world, with different histories and cultures, they have been able to forge an enduring friendship based on many shared values. This will set the stage for the next fifty years and beyond.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source