Doha and Charleston, SC Become Sister Cities

On 24 October 2019, the Ambassador of Qatar to the United States, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani and Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg signed a twinning agreement between the cities of Doha and Charleston, South Carolina. By signing this agreement, Doha and Charleston are committing to deepening the strategic partnership in all areas and further boosting US-Qatari relations.

The two cities have a solid foundation of past cooperation and hope to foster mutual economic development and deeper cultural transfers.

The agreement aims at building cooperation between the two cities by exploring opportunities for future partnership in trade and culture, and possibly hosting a trade delegation representing the city of Charleston to visit Doha and to see the investment opportunities offered by the city.

In a speech at the signing ceremony, Mayor Tecklenburg said that the twinning agreement reflects the sincere desire of both sides to increase understanding and coexistence between the Qatari and American peoples at all levels.

Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani emphasized how strong, diverse and long-lived the US-Qatari relationship is. The US-Qatari relations share bilateral trade and investment, military, and security, as well as educational and cultural cooperation; Qatar currently hosts six American universities, the largest US military base in the Middle East, and more than 650 American companies.

These relations will continue to grow with the signing of this agreement and Qatar’s commitment to invest $45bn in the US economy by 2020, in key sectors such as infrastructure, technology, and real estate. These investments have contributed to the creation of thousands of jobs throughout the US and will create even more.