An emotional embrace on an airport tarmac, not statistics on trade or energy, highlights the deep human impact of a US–Qatar partnership that has matured into one of the world’s most significant diplomatic alliances, outgoing US ambassador Timmy Davis said.

Speaking to journalists in Doha Wednesday, the envoy recounted standing on the tarmac as American citizens freed from detention in Iran arrived in Doha, their freedom secured through Qatar’s intensive mediation.

Davis said he was prepared for a formal handshake, but the first detainee to approach him said, “You’re the US ambassador?” “I said ‘yes,’ and he said: ‘Can I give you a hug?’” Davis recalled.

“In that moment, I realised that our relationship with Qatar is more than economics, it is more than education, it is more than energy. In fact, it is built around the idea that we can change people’s lives,” he said.

That single hug, a picture of which the ambassador keeps, embodied what he described as “the true power of Qatar’s efforts at doing good in the world.” He said it’s a power he has witnessed repeatedly during a three-year tenure that spanned the success of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to the ongoing and challenging efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.

“I have said over and over again how fortunate I am to be the US ambassador in Doha, I am the luckiest ambassador in the world,” Davis said, crediting the trusted partnership with enabling him to advance US priorities while essentially changing lives.

Beyond reacting to crises, Davis argued that the relationship between the two countries is now mature enough to shift from a reactive to a proactive posture. He called for a new chapter where the two nations work together to prevent humanitarian disasters before they unfold.

“A lot of our success at mediating conflicts, at providing community assistance, has been somewhat ad hoc,” he observed. “I think there’s an opportunity for the US and Qatar to take a breath and think about how they want to work together not just to respond to suffering... but how they want to help forestall, prevent.”

Davis said he envisions a future where the two “good friends,” harnessing their shared expertise and resources through bodies such as the Qatar Fund For Development can identify and solve problems before they escalate into global emergencies.

According to the envoy, while the exact number of lives saved or disasters averted through preventative action cannot be known, the positive outcomes—like the advancement of humanity and a reduction in suffering — are undeniable.

“And if we can work together to stop some of these things before they get started and so I think that's where we should be going and thinking about how we make the world better in the coming years,” he said.