Fifth Meeting of the Qatar-Singapore High-Level Joint Committee, 13 March 2012 - Joint Communiqué by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore

The Fifth Meeting of the Qatar-Singapore High-Level Joint Committee was convened in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday, 13th of March 2012, under the co-chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Heir Apparent, and His Excellency Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs of the Republic of Singapore.

Senior officials from the different public and private sectors of both sides participated in the proceedings of the Committee.

The two sides welcomed the relations of friendship and cooperation, and the progress that has been achieved by the High-Level Joint Committee in supporting the bilateral relations of cooperation in the various fields since the convening of the First Meeting of the Committee in Doha in October 2006.

The two sides also welcomed the signing of three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) that would promote and upgrade the level of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the various domains. These were the Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the Field of Information and Communication Technology, between the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology in the State of Qatar and the Infocomm Development Authority of the Republic of Singapore; the Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation, between the Ministry of Culture, Arts & Heritage in the State of Qatar and the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts of the Republic of Singapore; and the Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Cooperation, between the Ministry of Environment in the State of Qatar and the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources of the Republic of Singapore. More information about the three MOUs is at Annex.

The two sides agreed that the High-Level Joint Committee will convene its next meeting in Singapore at a convenient date to be determined through diplomatic channels.

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13 MARCH 2012
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Annex

MOU for Cooperation in the Field of Information and Communication Technology

This is the fourth MOU signed between the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQatar) and the Infocomm Development Authority. It reinforces Qatar and Singapore's commitment to further strengthen collaboration between the two countries in ICT, with focus on areas such as e-Government, cyber security, ICT industry development, and ICT manpower development.

Since the signing of the first MOU in 2006, there have been numerous exchanges of official visits between Qatar and Singapore, such as participations in the High-Level Joint Committee meetings in Qatar and Singapore, the annual Ministerial ICT Forum in Singapore as well as the regular official visits led by the senior management of ictQatar and IDA. Over the years, Singapore ICT companies have also collaborated in various strategic eGovernment and ICT projects in Qatar such as the Qatar Customs Clearance system, eSchoolbag pilot projects, Business Setup Services, Hukoomi eGovernment Portal and Qatar Services Platform.

MOU on Cultural Cooperation

This MOU aims to promote intercultural co-operation and exchange by encouraging the organisation of art exhibitions, literary and cultural events, as well as the exchange of artistic, folkloric and musical groups and writers between both countries.

Singapore and Qatar will also foster the exchange of information resources between the national libraries of both countries. In addition, both countries will encourage the exchange of visits by curators and researchers in archaeological and restoration fields, as well as explore possibilities of exhibitions and the loan of cultural artefacts between the respective national museums.

MOU on Environmental Cooperation

This MOU will establish a Joint Forum on Environmental Cooperation to develop a Plan of Action to broaden and deepen cooperation in environmental protection and sustainable development. Possible collaboration include professional and training exchanges in a wide range of areas from promoting public awareness of environmental protection efforts and rehabilitating the environment, to sharing research and strategies in water resource management, solid waste management, and chemical and hazardous waste management.

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