HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, met with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, during his official visit to Singapore.

During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation relations between the two countries as well as issues of common concern.

In a related context, the Implementation Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) of the Singapore-Qatar High Level Joint Committee (HLJC) held its second meeting in the city of Singapore.

The meeting was chaired by HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

In a joint statement after the meeting, the two sides stressed the depth of bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Singapore and praised the high level of bilateral cooperation achieved in various sectors. Both sides welcomed the high-level visits that have taken place in the past period, including the visit by HE Minister of State for Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman, to Qatar to participate in the 16th Ministerial Meeting of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in May 2019, and HE Minister of Justice and Minister of State for the Council of Ministers Affairs Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, who also visited Singapore to attend the signing ceremony of the Singapore Mediation Convention in August 2019.

The two sides acknowledged the progress made since the first IMM meeting in April 2018, which is a testament to the success of the work and the operational approach directed to the committee in raising partnerships (Government to Government, Business to Government, Business to Business) for mutual benefit.

According to the statement, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar and HE the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore reviewed the work of the six technical working committees established under the IMM in the fields of ICT, security, business, legal, sustainable development and social development.

The statement added that the fruitful discussions of the senior officials and technical working group meetings resulted in agreement on business cooperation, and Their Excellencies the Foreign Ministers welcomed the deep trade cooperation.

The statement pointed out that the fruitful discussions of the senior officials' meeting and technical working group meetings resulted in agreement on business cooperation, information and communication technology, legal, security, social development, sustainable development and government sector.

The statement added that during the meeting, Qatar Chamber discussed possible areas of cooperation with the Singapore Business Federation. Qatar Chamber, Enterprise Singapore, and the Singapore Business Federation have all expressed their keenness to organize delegation visits and business activities that will focus on key sectors in Qatar and Singapore, including the oil and gas, information and communications technology, software, financial technology and urban solutions such as city planning, construction, and water and waste management.

The statement pointed out that Qatar Chamber and the Singapore Business Federation also discussed the possibility of forming a joint business council with the renewal of the joint memorandum of understanding, where the MoU and the formation of the Singapore-Qatar bilateral council will be officially signed during the next official meeting between Qatar Chamber and the Singapore Business Federation or during any bilateral event that suits both sides. 

The statement said that the two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the information technology aspects such as cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, smart nation initiative, digital transformation, and digital societies. The two sides welcomed the exchange of visits between the officials in charge of the mentioned fields.

The two sides noted the significant progress made in terms of the work of the legal committee. The Ministry of Law of Singapore welcomed the State of Qatar's decision to sign the Singapore Mediation Convention, during the visit made by HE Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali to Singapore in August 2019. The two ministries concluded the first meeting of the joint committee that month, and agreed on putting more effort to increasing cooperation in the legal field.

In the security field, the statement said that the Ministry of Interior of the State of Qatar and the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Singapore emphasized the feasibility of the Joint working group as a platform for dialogue between the two sides, and the two Ministries expressed their aspiration to hold the ninth meeting of the group in Singapore during the first half of 2020.

In the field of social development the statement said that the two sides welcomed the cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the State of Qatar and the Ministry of Education in the Republic of Singapore. The two sides also welcomed the cooperation between the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour, and Social Affairs with Singapore's Ministry of Manpower.

In the field of sustainable development, the statement said that the two sides welcomed the Urban Planning Forum that is set to take place in Doha, with Qatar's Ministry of Municipality and Environment taking part along with the designated authorities in Singapore.

The two chairs of the meeting oversaw the signing of a number of agreements in the governmental field, including a Memorandum of Understanding between Qatar Free Zones Authority and the intellectual property office in Singapore.

The two sides concluded the meeting by expressing their commitment to enhancing ties in all fields.