International Focus Magazine Vol. 2, #11 | Page 41

Q: First, tell us a little about
yourself and walk us through your
background.
A: I graduated with Bachelor de-
gree in Sociology from Qatar Uni-
versity in 1990, followed by a Master
in Middle East Policies and a PhD in
Economics from Britain. From 2002
until 2010, I worked at the Ministry
of Finance and Economy in differ-
ent departments and I held different
titles. In 2010, I joined the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs as the Medical Attaché
in Germany for all of Europe except
the UK. In 2016, I was promoted to
Consul General and got assigned to
the Consulate of Qatar in Houston.
Q: Tell us about the Consulate
of Qatar; the authentication of other
civil documents such as birth cer-
tificates, school diplomas, marriage
certificates, power of attorney, police
clearance, and more; authenticating
death certificates for diseased Qatari,
renewing expired passports, issuing
temporary travel documents in case
of emergency for those who have
lost their passports and for new born
babies; helping all Qatari citizens
who are i n the city either for medical
treatment or education or as medical
escorts throughout their stay.
Q: What are some past, present, and
future goals for Qatar’s relationship
with the U.S.?
A:
has established strong trade relations
with Qatar, with more than 120 U.S.
companies operating in the country.
For example, the United States is one
of the major equipment suppliers to
the oil and gas industry in Qatar and
American companies have played an
important role in the development of
the oil, gas, and petrochemical sector.
U.S. exports to Qatar include air-
craft, machinery, vehicles, optical and
medical instruments, and agricultural
products. U.S. imports from Qatar
include LNG, aluminum, fertilizers,
and sulfur. The United States and
Qatar have signed a trade and invest-
ment framework agreement and host
an annual Bilateral Economic and In-
vestment Dialogue. Qatar announced
a plan to invest $45 billion from its
sovereign wealth fund in the United
States by 2021. In 2016, it also an-
nounced the purchase of $21 billion
in F-15 fighter jets and $18 billion in
Boeing commercial aircrafts.
Diplomatic relations between
our two countries began in 1972
General of the State of Qatar in
after Qatar gained independence
Houston. What parts of America are
from the United Kingdom. Qatar has
covered by the Consulate and what
strong bilateral ties with the United
are the services it provides?
States and works in close coordina-
A: The Consulate General of the tion on a wide range of regional and
State of Qatar in Houston serves 11 global issues. We support progress, The United States and Qatar also
states, including AL, CO, FL, GA, KS, stability and prosperity in the region. cooperate on security in the Gulf
region. Qatar hosts the U.S. Central
LA, MS, NM, OK, TN, and TX. We
The
United
States
and
Qatar
have
Command forward headquarters and
provide the following services: issu-
ing entry visas to the State of Qatar; extensive economic ties. As the larg- supports the North Atlantic Treaty
legalizing all commercial invoices re- est foreign investor in Qatar and the Organization and the United States
lated to any shipments to the State largest importer, the United States military operations in the region. Qa-
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