US Designates Qatar as Major Non-NATO Ally; Colombia to Follow

Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani addresses the U.N. General Assembly in New York, on Sept. 21, 2021. Eduardo Munoz/Pool Photo via AP, File

The Biden administration has designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally (MNNA) of the United States, with Colombia soon to follow, opening up new avenues of cooperation between the nations.

President Joe Biden confirmed Qatar’s status in a March 10 statement, fulfilling the promise he made to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Qatar’s emir, at the White House in late January. Qatar is the third Gulf region nation to become an MNNA nation, after Kuwait and Bahrain.