DOHA/ABU DHABI: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday Qatar will invest $10 billion in coming years in the Al Udeid Air Base southwest of its capital Doha, the largest US military facility in the Middle East.
In a speech to US troops at the base during his tour of the Gulf, Trump also said defense purchases signed by Qatar on Wednesday are worth $42 billion.
Trump’s motorcade pulled up next to a big hangar at the base after a drive along closed roads and under dusty skies through a flat desert landscape.
Two bright red Tesla Cybertrucks that belong to Qatar’s internal security forces could be seen in the parade of vehicles, according to a shared pool report by AFP news agency.
Trump then flew to the United Arab Emirates, whose leaders want US help to make their Gulf nation a global leader in artificial intelligence. He was met at Abu Dhabi International Airport by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and headed to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
The US has a preliminary agreement with the UAE to allow it to import 500,000 of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips a year, starting this year, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
The deal would boost the UAE’s construction of data centers vital to developing artificial intelligence models.
Deals and diplomacy
A string of business agreements has been inked during Trump’s four-day swing through the Gulf region, including a deal for Qatar Airways to purchase up to 210 Boeing widebody jets, a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the US and $142 billion in US arms sales to the Kingdom.
The trip has also brought a flurry of diplomacy.
Trump made a surprise announcement on Tuesday that the US will remove longstanding sanctions on Syria and subsequently met with Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa.
He urged Sharaa to establish ties with Syria’s longtime foe Israel.
In Abu Dhabi, Trump will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other leaders.
AI is likely to be a focus of the final leg of Trump’s trip.
