President Dr Irfaan Ali has pitched Guyana as a strategic hub for Qatar amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly the attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a political and economic union of six Arab states, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
He made the offer on Monday during an official phone call with His Highness, Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar.
According to a brief statement from the Office of the President, the Guyanese Head of State expressed full solidarity of the people of Guyana to the State of Qatar.
The statement outlined that President Ali “assured the Amir that we condemn completely all attacks on Qatar and the members of the GCC and assured the Amir that Guyana stands strongly in support of Qatar.”
“The President also offered Guyana as an important destination from a geographic and market position for Qatar, noting the long-term damage to infrastructure and the impact on their economy caused by the ongoing conflict,” the statement added.
Qatari media reported that during the call, President Ali also affirmed Guyana’s readiness to provide support and assistance to the State of Qatar in confronting the current circumstances.
International media reports that a number of energy infrastructure such as refineries, oil fields, gas plants and ports, has been damaged by missiles and strikes during the ongoing war.
Last month, Qatar said Iranian missile attacks on the Ras Laffan Industrial City, the country’s main gas facility, have caused “significant damage”.
QatarEnergy, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, said that several other LNG facilities had also been attacked, “causing sizeable fires and extensive further damage”.
The Ras Laffan complex, located 80km (50 miles) northeast of Doha, is the world’s largest LNG production facility and produces about 20 percent of the global LNG supply, playing a major role in balancing both Asian and European markets’ demand for the fuel.
Collaboration
Meanwhile, during the phone call, the two sides also discussed long-term initiatives which included investments, food security, energy security and technology aimed at expanding collaboration through partnership.
“His Highness, the Amir expressed his gratitude to President Ali and the people of Guyana for their constant support to the people of Qatar and expressed Qatar’s deep interest in broadening partnership in investment, human capital development, technology, food security and other critical infrastructure,” the statement noted.
Over the years, Guyana and Qatar have strengthened ties since diplomatic relations were established 1996.
Guyana has made it clear that as it continues along its transformational journey, it views Qatar as an important partner.
“Guyana seeks to benefit from the best practices that underpin Qatar’s rapid economic growth, particularly its forward-looking diversification strategy as outlined in the National Vision 2030. By learning from Qatar’s model of strategic investment in critical sectors such as healthcare, infrastructure, technology and education, Guyana aims to replicate a similar commitment to building a robust, diversified and sustainable economic future,” Prime Minister Mark Phillips had emphasised in December 2025 during a reception hosted by the Embassy of Qatar in Georgetown to commemorate Qatar’s National Day.
In fact, the PM had emphasised that Qatar’s expertise, particularly in liquefied natural gas production and marketing, offers valuable insights as Guyana continues to expand its natural gas capabilities.
Current projects and programmes here that the State of Qatar is engaged in include the recent Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signing by QatarEnergy for offshore oil exploration, a Qatari medical convoy to perform specialised surgeries in Guyana, the Georgetown Seafront Resort and Convention Centre project by Qatar Investment Authority and environmental partnership via the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), among others.
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