Diplomatic meet between two friendly countries is a very common scenario in International politics. These meetings happen to discuss any trending international issue relevant to the meeting nations and come to a mutual agreement. Many areas like military, business, and other deals can be signed through such meets. One such diplomatic-level meet occurred between the PM of Qatar and the Defence Official of the United Kingdom, as reported on 21st of May, 2019. In this article, we shall see the importance of this meeting.
What happened?
The Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior of the Qatar Peninsula, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani met the Defence Senior Advisor of the United Kingdom to the Middle East, Sir John Lorimer and the accompanying delegation on the account of their visit to Qatar on Tuesday.
Why did this happen?
This meet was the regular ritual in international politics where the ally countries meet and decide on important matters.
Qatar and the United Kingdom have been friendly nations since 1949, when the British embassy was opened in Doha, with the aim to encourage a friendly relationship between Qatar and the UK and deal with a range of political, economic, security, commercial matters which are of interest to both the nations.
The present meet was also one of these regular meetings, aimed at discussing the above matters.
History of the relationship between the UK and Qatar
Things started back in 1868, when Qatar was still a part of Bahrain, though there were demands for a separate nation. The British Lieutenant General and an office in the East India Company, Sir Lewis Pelly came to Bahrain to protect British trade interests, following the continuous raids on the British possessions. He believed it to be a tactic of the ruler of Bahrain.
So, he signed a treaty with the leader of Qatari tribes, Mohammad Bin Thani and this became the first official treaty that Qatar ever signed as an independent state. This recognition of Qatar as independent by Britain made them good allies.
There have been a number of mutual visits by various diplomats of the two countries.
In 2011, the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron visited Qatar which was a response to the visit of the Emir of Qatar to the United Kingdom in 2010.
In 2013, Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall visited Qatar and the then Emir of Qatar also paid a visit to the UK in 2014. The latest visit is one among these meetings at higher levels.
It is noteworthy to say that both countries have a diplomatic relationship and have previous agreements in the above-mentioned areas of interest.
What were the topics discussed?
During this discussion, both the countries reviewed their mutual relationship and discussed the latest developments in the situations and other issues of common interest.
What is expected?
The meet is expected to further strengthen the bond between the two countries and also pave the way for a better business and military cooperation between them.
