ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump met Saturday with the emir and prime minister of Qatar — a key ally in maintaining the fragile Gaza peace deal — during a refueling stop on his way to Asia.
The Qatari leaders boarded Air Force One when it landed at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the regional headquarters of the US military and thousands of American troops.
Trump said the duo had played a crucial role in the Middle East peace process, adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had been his “friend to the world.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, fresh off a trip to Israel as part of Washington’s diplomatic push to keep the Gaza truce on track, was present during the meeting.
The leaders did not take questions before reporters were escorted out.
Trump is traveling to Asia for the first time since retaking office in January, with two regional summits and meetings with China’s Xi Jinping and other leaders on his agenda.
Qatar has played a key mediating role in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas since the outbreak of the war and is among the guarantors of the fragile peace deal, along with Egypt, the United States, and Turkey.
Earlier this week, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the next steps in the deal, including the creation of a Gaza security force and the future of Hamas.
Qatar’s prime minister has been a central negotiator since the war erupted following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.