Ten years in the making, The Bahamas has finally established diplomatic relations with Qatar.

Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Dr. Elliston Rahming signed the agreement with Ambassador of Qatar to the United States, Mohamed Bin Abdulla Al-Rumaihi during a ceremony at the Embassy of Qatar in Washington, D.C.

Diplomatic relations between The Bahamas and Qatar, a sovereign Arab state, had been sought since 2003. The agreement was finalized by Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister, Fred Mitchell, during a visit to Qatar earlier this year.

Ambassador Mohamed Bin Abdulla Al-Rumaihi said his country can learn about the tourism industry and that there can be valuable opportunities for trade expansion, transfer of technology and knowledge in the energy sector.

Ambassador Rahming in turn extended an invitation for the Qatari ambassador to visit The Bahamas. He said will seek to do so in mid-September 2013, including a visit to Grand Bahama to examine collaborative opportunities. The Qatari ambassador also extended an invitation for Ambassador Rahming to visit Qatar during this year.

It is anticipated that a Technical Cooperation Agreement will be negotiated for signature in short order now that the bilateral diplomatic relations have been established.

Located in Western Asia, on the northeasterly coast of the Arabian peninsula, Qatar’s sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. A strait in the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island state of Bahrain.

A former British protectorate, Qatar gained independence in 1971 and since then, as a result of its extensive reserves of oil and natural gas, it has become one of the region’s wealthiest states.