How Qatar's role in Afghanistan helped to restore U.S. relations.
"This is the role of a mediator," Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah Rashid Mohammed Al-Khater said."It's not to take sides. It's to maintain open channels with all parties, so that we can facilitate discussions, facilitate things like the evacuation."
With the U.S. Embassy in Kabul shuttered, the new U.S. diplomatic mission to Afghanistan is based entirely in Doha, a modern city of sleek skyscrapers and luxury malls. "Many countries have stepped up to help the evacuation and relocation efforts in Afghanistan, but no country has done more than Qatar," Blinken said the next day.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Doha on Sept. 7.Drawing on its exorbitant wealth, derived from the world's largest natural gas field, which it shares with Iran, Qatar has long sought to fashion itself as a major player in diplomacy, finance, sports and regional security —and to curry favor with both political parties in the U.S.
Accused by the U.S. of being a"permissive jurisdiction" for terrorist financing, Qatar said it was taking steps to open its books, allowing Treasury Department officials into its central bank. And in 2018, Qatar paid for an expansion of Al Udeid Air Base that included more living quarters and recreational facilities for 10,000 U.S. personnel based there.
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