Washington / Information Office / May 17

The State of Qatar has affirmed its commitment to assisting its partners worldwide, including the United States, to overcome the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

This came in a speech by HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the United States of America Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani, during his participation as a keynote speaker at a videoconference organized by the American Chamber of Commerce with a group of American businessmen to discuss how the State of Qatar managed the COVID- 19 crisis and the current economic situation of the country, with the presence of 58 participants represents prominent American companies in a variety of sectors including Abbott Laboratories, MetLife, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, General Electric, Motorola, and Inventus Power, an American company that recently expanded and entered Qatar by opening a manufacturing center in the free zones.

His Excellency stressed during the conference the flexibility of the Qatari economy, pointing to several reports issued recently by independent organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and Moody's, which emphasized the economic strength of the State of Qatar.

HE the Ambassador briefed the American companies on the extent of regulation and the comprehensiveness of the response of the government of Qatar to combat the coronavirus, noting that these measures contributed to the State of Qatar being one of the countries that experienced the lowest death rate in the world due to the strength of its medical system.

His Excellency pointed out that, despite the impact that the coronavirus has had on the missions of the Qatari embassy and its activities in the United States, as well as on the local economy, the basic goals of the country have not changed, and that the country's economic prospects and the future of bilateral Qatari-American relations are still bright, stressing the commitment of the State of Qatar to assist its partners throughout the world, including the United States, to overcome the crisis.

HE the Ambassador touched on the important, vital, and effective role that Qatar Airways played during the coronavirus pandemic crisis, stressing that many countries, including Germany, France, and Britain, have formally requested their citizens to use Qatar Airways company to return to their countries, and even praised Doha through social media for its effective contribution in facilitating this task. His Excellency pointed out that the company has been described as a lifeline between Asia and Europe, and also between Asia and America to help people return to their homes.

For their part, representatives of American companies praised the State of Qatar's response to combat the coronavirus, as many companies indicated that their operations in the State of Qatar were not affected at all by the pandemic and that its employees in the country enjoy wide access to health care, medicines, food, and all other amenities.

Several conference attendees also praised the intensive humanitarian efforts being made by the State of Qatar around the world to support the global response to the virus, including in the United States.

The member companies of the American Chamber of Commerce have expressed their desire and interest in organizing such partnerships with the Qatari Embassy to continue to strengthen the Qatari-American economic partnership despite the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus.