MFA Press Statement: Visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean to the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt, 6-9 March

                Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will be visiting Qatar and Egypt from 6 to 9 March 2016.

               In Qatar, DPM Teo will co-chair the Seventh Qatar-Singapore High-Level Joint Committee (HLJC) Meeting with His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar.  DPM Teo will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising of Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Senior Minister of State for Law Ms Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Minister of State for Communications and Information and Minister of State for Education Dr Janil Puthucheary, Minister of State for National Development and Minister of State for Trade and Industry Dr Koh Poh Koon, and Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Mr Amrin Amin.

               The HLJC is the key platform of bilateral engagement between Singapore and Qatar.  The Sixth HLJC was held in Singapore in November 2013.  DPM Teo’s visit is part of Singapore’s continuing close engagement of members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with which Singapore had signed a Free Trade Agreement that entered into force on 1 September 2013.  While in Doha, DPM Teo will also visit the Doha North Sewage Treatment Works at Umm Salal Ali built and operated by Keppel Seghers*, and meet overseas Singaporeans living in Qatar.

                In Egypt, DPM Teo will meet several Egyptian leaders to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between Egypt and Singapore.  He is scheduled to call on His Excellency President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, His Excellency Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, His Eminence Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Dr Ahmed Al Tayyeb and His Eminence Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Dr Shawki Allam.  DPM Teo will also meet senior Egyptian security officials to exchange views on security developments in the region.  In addition, DPM Teo will be the Guest-of-Honour at a reception celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations between Egypt and Singapore, and hold a dialogue session with Singaporean students in Egypt.  DPM Teo will be accompanied in Egypt by Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Minister of State Maliki Osman, Minister of State Koh Poh Koon, and Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

5 March 2016

* Keppel Seghers was awarded the design, build and operate contract for the first phase of the project in September 2007.  The contract is worth QR3.6 billion (S$1.5 billion).  The Doha North Sewage Treatment Works (DNSTW) has the capacity to treat 245,000m³ of sewage per day.  It became operational in December 2015 and is expected to be fully completed by the third-quarter of 2017 following the second, third and fourth phases of construction of the project. The DNSTW is one of the largest and most modern treatment plants, being the first sewage treatment plant in Qatar to use advanced treatment techniques such as advanced biological treatment processes, ultra-filtration and ultra-violet technologies to produce high quality reclaimed water for reuse for irrigation. The DNSTW is the first facility with comprehensive odour control system to minimise the impact on the surrounding environment.