US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the relationship between the United States and Qatar will grow stronger in the coming years, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Blinken praised - in a video recording on this occasion - the strength of those relations, and believed that they made the lives of the American and Qatari peoples and other peoples safer and more prosperous.

He added in his speech that Doha and Washington worked together to confront regional challenges such as combating ISIS and improving the lives of Palestinians.

With regard to the events in Afghanistan, Blinken said that Qatar played an indispensable role in the evacuations - which took place after the withdrawal of US forces - which strengthened the partnership between the two countries, as he put it.

On the 50th anniversary of relations between the United States and Qatar, we recognize the strength and endurance of our important and close partnership.

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— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 19, 2022

"Qatar played a key role in the process of evacuating more than 70,000 American citizens, residents, and Afghans to the United States. We are working together to meet the enormous humanitarian needs of Afghans," Blinken said.

"We were pleased to recognize and deepen this exemplary cooperation by designating Qatar as a major non-NATO ally," he added.

And earlier this month, US President Joe Biden sent a memorandum to the Secretary of State including his designation of Doha as a major non-NATO ally of the United States.

Biden said in the memo that Doha's classification was based on the constitution and the foreign aid law.

The US President had announced that he had taken this decision when he met the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the White House last January.

Washington gives this designation to close non-NATO allies who have strategic working relationships with the US military.