The Emir of Qatar, His Highness Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived in El Salvador yesterday afternoon at San Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport, accompanied by an official delegation. He was warmly received with honors by the Vice President of the Republic, Félix Ulloa.
As part of his state visit, the Sheikh’s agenda includes a meeting with the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, to discuss bilateral matters and the strengthening of relations between both nations. Qatar News Agency reported, «El Salvador warmly welcomes the official visit of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, to further strengthen the good relations between our two countries. Welcome to our home,» wrote President Bukele on his X social media account.
During the meeting, the Emir and President Bukele will explore ways to enhance bilateral relations and discuss opportunities for cooperation in various areas for El Salvador’s development. Additionally, agreements and memorandums of understanding in different fields of cooperation will be signed, and various regional and international topics of mutual interest will be addressed.
President Bukele invited the Qatari Sheikh to El Salvador as part of his diplomatic efforts to strengthen ties with developed countries open to contributing to the progress of Salvadorans while respecting sovereignty.
El Salvador already receives Qatari cooperation in various sectors such as culture, education, health, and early childhood development. El Salvador maintains an embassy and consulate in Qatar, which is also concurrent for Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Palestine.
Shortly after assuming the presidency, Bukele traveled to Qatar in December 2019 to participate in the Doha Forum, where he discussed «the urgent need to reinvent governance and multilateralism in an ever-changing world.»
In March of this year, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Adriana Mira traveled to Qatar to participate in the AgriteQ fair, where she highlighted the potential for El Salvador to open commercial and business opportunities focused on agriculture and fisheries in the Arab nation.
During her visit, the diplomat met with Mansoor Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud, the CEO of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), to discuss key investments by the Salvadoran government in logistics infrastructure and the transportation of goods and people.
«As part of our main plans, we have the construction and operation of the Pacific train and airport, initiatives aimed at harnessing the full potential of our eastern region for economic and social development,» Mira stated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that these proposals piqued the interest of the QIA representative, who expressed his willingness to visit El Salvador firsthand to explore the possibilities offered by these projects. They also discussed establishing an air route for cargo and passenger transport between El Salvador and Qatar, with the aim of expanding trade exchanges and tourism flow.
To further this objective, Mira met with Akbar Al Bake, the CEO of Qatar Airways, one of the world’s leading airlines, who expressed his readiness to follow up on this and other airport initiatives. In fact, the Qatari Emir arrived in the country yesterday on a Boeing 747-800 aircraft owned by Qatar Airways, highlighting the airline’s commitment to strengthening ties between the two nations.