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Middle East and North Africa

Qatar

 Flag of Qatar

Last reviewed: 02 November 2009

Country information

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Qatar's relations with its neighbours

Qatar is a member of the Gulf Co-operation Council alongside its neighbours Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It hosted the 2007 GCC Summit in Doha.

Coverage of regional events by the Al Jazeera TV Channel, which is based in Doha,  has strained bilateral relations with some of Qatar’s neighbours at times.
On 16 March 2001, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced its judgement on the long-standing maritime delimitation and territorial dispute between Bahrain and Qatar. This peaceful settlement has provided the impetus for renewed co-operation, including plans for a causeway to link the two countries by road and rail.

Qatar's relations with the international community

Qatar is active in both regional and international diplomacy.
In 2009 Qatar assumed the rotating Chair of the Arab League. In March 2009 Doha hosted the Arab League Summit.

Qatar is a member of the United Nations Committee on Human Rights and was a member of the UN Security Council from 2005 to 2007. It hosted the UN Financing for Development Conference in Doha in 2008.

Qatar held the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001, launching the Doha Development Round.

In 2006 Qatar hosted the 15th Asian Games. It will hold the World Indoor Athletics Championship in 2010 and football’s 2011 Asian Cup. Doha was an applicant city for the 2016 Olympic games and in 2009 Qatar launched a bid for the 2022 Football World Cup.

Doha will be Arab Capital of Culture in 2010.

Qatar's relations with the UK

Bilateral relations are good and there is strong co-operation in a number of areas; see Working with Qatar (http://ukinqatar.fco.gov.uk/en) for more information

Cultural Relations with the UK

Qatar is investing heavily in culture and education, with assistance from prominent British institutions. Many Qataris come to the UK to study English and for higher education.

The Emir’s wife HH Sheikha Mozah chairs the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, which was founded in 1995 to provide specialised education to develop a future leadership cadre for Qatar and to develop Qatar as a research hub. A number of British institutions have formed partnerships with the Qatar Foundation.

British Council, Qatar

Recent Visits from Qatar

  • September 2009: HE Ali bin Fatais Al Marri, Attorney-General of the State of Qatar
  • July 2009: HE Yousuf Kamal, Minister of Finance
  • May 2009: HH The Emir and HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Misnad; and HE Abdullah bin Hamad al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy and Industry
  • February 2009: HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • January 2009: HE Ahmed Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Recent visits to Qatar

  • October 2009: HRH The Duke of York, UK Special Representative for International Trade and Investment
  • October 2009: Bill Rammell, Minister for the Armed Forces
  • June 2009: Bob Ainsworth, Secretary of State for Defence
  • May 2009: Sir Paul Stephenson, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
  • April 2009: HRH The Duke of York and Mike O’Brien, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change
  • February 2009: The Lord Mayor of the City of London
  • November 2008: Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
  • 2007: TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall;

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