MFA Press Statement: Inaugural Implementation Monitoring Mechanism Meeting Under the Singapore-Qatar High Level Joint Committee Framework, 15 April 2018

  Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan co-chaired the inaugural Implementation Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) meeting with Qatar Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al Thani, on Sunday, 15 April 2018.  The meeting follows from the announcement of the establishment of the IMM in October 2017 during the State Visit of the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, to Singapore.

          In their meeting, Minister Balakrishnan and His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed affirmed the growth in the scope and substance of bilateral relations between Qatar and Singapore over the years.  They  reviewed the outcome of the discussions held between representatives of both countries from six Technical Working Committees (TWCs) on 12 April 2018, and endorsed a Joint Statement which set out a roadmap for bilateral cooperation and engagement going forward.  A matrix outlining the structure of existing Singapore-Qatar bilateral platforms including the IMM, and the six TWCs, is enclosed at Folio [PDF, 121 KB].

          The full Joint Statement of the inaugural IMM meeting is appended below.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

15 APRIL 2018

JOINT STATEMENT FOR THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE IMPLEMENTATION MONITORING MECHANISM IN DOHA, QATAR

SUNDAY, 15 APRIL 2018

The Implementation Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) of the Singapore-Qatar High Level Joint Committee (HLJC) held its first meeting on Sunday, 15 April 2018 in Doha, Qatar. 

The meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al Thani, and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

At the outset, both co-chairs reaffirmed the outcome of the State Visit of the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to the Republic of Singapore in October 2017, which saw the signing of seven agreements.  They welcomed the increased level of bilateral cooperation in all sectors.

Both sides recognised the importance of the HLJC, co-chaired by Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Qatar, His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani, and Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security of Singapore, Mr Teo Chee Hean.  The HLJC serves as the overarching bilateral platform between Singapore and Qatar.

The co-chairs noted with satisfaction the progress made in activating the IMM in the six months since its inception in Singapore in October 2017 under the HLJC umbrella.  Both sides agreed that the action and implementation-oriented approach of the IMM would advance Government-to-Government, Business-to-Government, and Business-to-Business partnerships for mutual benefit.

Both co-chairs reviewed the work of the six Technical Working Committees (TWCs) established under the IMM in the areas of Information and Communications Technology, Security, Business, Legal, Sustainability, and Social Development.  The co-chairs welcomed the exchange of points of contact of representatives from both sides to facilitate prompt follow-up on bilateral cooperation.

The co-chairs welcomed the completion of the necessary procedures to bring into force the Agreement between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Government of the Republic of Singapore for the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments (i.e. Bilateral Investment Treaty), so as to strengthen economic and trade ties between Qatar and Singapore.

Both sides welcomed the fruitful discussions of the Senior Officials Meeting and TWC meetings which resulted in agreement on the following areas of cooperation.

Qatar welcomed the visit of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) delegation to Doha to support the inaugural IMM and to further strengthen commercial collaboration. The Singapore Business Council in Qatar and the Qatar Chamber agreed to convene a business-matching session between the small-and-medium enterprises from both markets in the last quarter of 2018.  Enterprise Singapore (ESG), Qatar Central Bank, and Qatar Development Bank agreed to jointly explore entry for FinTech companies into each other’s markets.  In the smart utilities sector, ESG also agreed to share Singapore’s experience in smart grid management and electricity demand response with the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation.

Both sides agreed to hold the ninth Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs-Qatar Ministry of Interior Joint Working Group meeting in Singapore later this year.  Qatar’s Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and Singapore’s Ministry of Law looked forward to holding their inaugural joint committee meeting to discuss legal cooperation and activities, as agreed under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the legal field between the governments of Qatar and Singapore. 

Singapore welcomed the completion of procedures by the State of Qatar for the MOU for Cooperation between the Centre for Legal and Judicial Studies in the MOJ and the Singapore Academy of Law, and both sides looked forward to the prompt entry into force of the MOU and the conduct of workshops and training courses.

The Singapore Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the Qatar Ministry of Municipality and Environment also agreed to hold a joint forum in the second quarter of 2019 to further explore specific areas of mutual cooperation, and to develop a plan of action under the MOU signed in 2012.

The Qatar Diplomatic Institute and the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic Academy exchanged views on joint programmes, and Singapore agreed to host a study visit for officials from the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2019.

To develop and strengthen bilateral relations in all areas, both co-chairs agreed to continue cooperation through the work of the IMM TWCs, and looked forward to the eighth meeting of the HLJC in the Republic of Singapore.