Qatar Important Strategic Partner of UK in Middle East: UK Prime Minister

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

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

In an exclusive statements 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.

The Prime Minister of the UK looked forward to welcoming HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the Prime Minister's residence (10 Downing Street) once again, noting that the two countries are taking the relations between the two countries towards a better future for their peoples.

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 HH the 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 report included the most important data on the nature of these relations in this field between the two countries, and explained the importance of trade and economic relations between the two countries, placing Qatar in the 41st rank as the largest trading partner for the UK, as the volume of trade exchange between them 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 report showed that Qatar is the 34th largest export market for British exports, and the 44th largest market for British imports. Accordingly, British exports to Qatar have shrunk by 33 percent during the 12 months until last February, while UK imports from Qatar achieved an increase of 163 percent in the same period.

The report also indicated that the British services sector achieves an advanced level in Qatar within the British exports, Qatar's exports of oil and gas accounted for 86 percent of the volume of Qatari exports to the UK.

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.

(QNA)