President Trump spoke yesterday by telephone with His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar.  They reaffirmed the close defense cooperation between our two countries and committed to strengthen efforts to defeat violent terrorists.  Regarding the situation in Syria, they agreed on the importance of defeating ISIS and establishing the conditions for a successful political transition.  The two leaders committed to sustaining their efforts to strengthen economic and investment cooperation as well as stopping terror financing streams throughout the region.  More broadly, they agreed on the importance of working with other regional partners to diversify their economies, invest in the region, and provide more effective governance so as to better meet the aspirations of a rising generation.  They agreed to remain in close contact on these and related issues.