Donald Trump thanks Qatar for combating 'terrorism' in phone call with HH the Emir
President Donald Trump of the United States praised Qatar's efforts to combat "terrorism and extremism" during a phone call with HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Monday.
This is especially significant, because Trump’s statements during the phone call with HH Sheikh Tamim supported Qatar's denials of allegations of supporting terrorism by Saudi Arabia and the blockading countries.
"The president thanked the emir for Qatari action to counter terrorism and extremism in all forms," a statement by the White House said.
Trump also emphasised his support for a united Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) "focused on countering regional threats,” according to a report by Al Jazeera.
The US embassy in Qatar tweeted details of the phone call and Trump’s supportive stance.
2/3: #POTUS thanked HH Sheikh @TamimBinHamad for Qatari action to counter terrorism & extremism. #Qatar is one of the few countries to move forward on a bilateral memorandum of understanding #USQatarPartnership @WhiteHouse @MofaQatar_EN
— U.S. Embassy Qatar (@USEmbassyQatar) January 15, 2018
1/3: President Trump calls HH Sheikh @TamimBinHamad & reiterates his support for a strong, united #GCC focused on countering regional threats. @MofaQatar_EN @WhiteHouse #USQatarPartnership
— U.S. Embassy Qatar (@USEmbassyQatar) January 15, 2018
The conversation between the two leaders came at a time when HH the Emir was also visiting Turkey's capital, Ankara, where he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.
Cover image credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
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