HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and HE Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong opened the 8th meeting of the High-Level Joint Committee between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Singapore at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore today.
At the beginning of the meeting, HE the Prime Minister of Singapore welcomed HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and the accompanying delegation, noting the importance of the meetings of the joint committee as well as the meetings that take place between officials of both countries in order to strengthen the bilateral and strategic relations between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Government of the Republic of Singapore.
His Excellency expressed his country's aspiration to advance cooperation with the State of Qatar to broader horizons, especially in the areas of artificial intelligence and digital economy, and praised the work of the joint committee between the two countries over the past 17 years.
For his part, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his thanks and appreciation to HE the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore for the generous hospitality and warm welcome accorded to him and the accompanying delegation.
Since the establishment of the joint committee in 2006, the two sides have been keen to continue strengthening relations between the two countries in various fields, he said. The relations are a successful model of partnership and distinguished projects between the two countries, he noted, adding that visits, meetings and bilateral meetings between the two countries contribute to the development of relations between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Government of the Republic of Singapore.
During the meeting, they discussed relations between the two countries and ways of developing them, especially in the political, economic, investment, education, tourism, civil development, joint investment projects and artificial intelligence fields within the framework of the agreements and memorandums of understanding signed between the two countries. The most important developments and issues of common interest were also discussed.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and HE the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore listened to a presentation by the Qatari side delivered by HE CEO of the Investment Promotion Agency Sheikh Ali bin Alwaleed Al-Thani on investment opportunities in the State of Qatar, the state's plans to promote and establish an infrastructure for open and free investment, and ways of joint investment with the Republic of Singapore.
Since its launch four years ago, the agency, he said, has succeeded in creating a world-class conducive business environment, contributing to highlighting Qatar's potential as a distinctive destination for foreign investments.
He added that the agency was keen to benefit from the experiences of international investment promotion agencies and to follow modern and innovative methods in promoting and attracting foreign investments in order to achieve a qualitative leap in providing services in the field of investment promotion.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and HE the Prime Minister of Singapore also listened to a presentation by the Singaporean side on the development of smart city infrastructure and artificial intelligence strategies, including the ethical and regulatory framework for governance.
The meeting concluded with the announcement of the joint minutes between the two sides.
The meeting was attended by members of the official delegation, businessmen and senior officials accompanying HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. It was also attended by a number of Their Excellencies ministers, businessmen and senior officials from the Singaporean side.