ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump arrived in Qatar on Wednesday, marking his second stop in his Gulf tour following his visit to Saudi Arabia.

Trump’s plane landed at Hamad International Airport, where he was greeted by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, footage aired on Qatari television showed.

In a welcoming gesture, Trump’s plane was escorted by a formation of Qatari aircraft as it entered the Gulf country’s airspace.

Sheikh Tamim and Trump began bilateral talks following a formal reception of the US president, the Emiri Diwan said in a statement.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari expressed his country’s hope that Trump’s visit would advance mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 52,900 people have been killed in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023.

In an interview with the Qatari state news agency QNA, he described Trump’s visit as “an important opportunity to unify efforts and increase international pressure to end the escalation and create conditions for restarting the political process.”

The spokesman said key issues likely to be discussed include security and defense cooperation, economic and investment partnerships, developments in Gaza, and the broader Palestinian issue.

Trump’s visit to Doha is part of a Gulf tour that began on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, and is scheduled to conclude Friday in the United Arab Emirates.

His visit to Qatar is the first by a US president to the Gulf country since George W. Bush’s trip in 2003.