(Photo: MCI): Courtesy call on Acting President by HE Sheik Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar at the Istana. The Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar, His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani was officially welcomed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana this evening. Following the Welcome Ceremony, Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah called on Acting President JY Pillay and Prime Minister Lee, as well as met with Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. Prime Minister Lee also hosted an official dinner in honour of Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah.
During Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah’s meetings with our leaders, they reaffirmed the strong ties between Qatar and Singapore. Sheikh Abdullah noted that both countries enjoyed good cooperation, especially the collaboration between Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Qatar’s Ministry of Interior.
Prime Minister Lee recalled his visit to Doha to sign the Gulf Cooperation Council-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (GSFTA) during Qatar's chairmanship of the GCC in 2008. Both Prime Ministers agreed that the recently ratified GSFTA will further enhance the economic linkages between Singapore and Qatar as well as the other GCC member countries. Prime Minister Lee welcomed Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah’s appointment as co-chair of the Qatar-Singapore High Level Joint Committee (HLJC). Prime Minister Lee said that Singapore appreciated the Emir His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani’s leadership of the HLJC in his previous capacity as Heir Apparent. The HLJC serves as a key platform to promote bilateral cooperation and to exchange views on common challenges facing Qatar and Singapore such as transportation. Prime Minister Lee and Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah also had a good exchange of views on regional developments.
Emeritus Senior Minister Goh welcomed the progress achieved in strengthening cooperation in various fields over the last five HLJC meetings. Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah updated Emeritus Senior Minister Goh on Qatar’s domestic priorities. Both leaders discussed the domestic challenges confronting small states like Singapore and Qatar. They had a good discussion on regional developments.
Earlier in the morning, Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah attended a ceremony at the Singapore Botanic Gardens where a new orchid hybrid Dendrobium Sheikh Abdullah, was named in Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah’s honour. Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah also attended a lunch hosted by Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security, and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean. On 14 November 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah and Deputy Prime Minister Teo will co-chair the 6th meeting of the HLJC.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
13 NOVEMBER 2013