DOHA: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Majed bin Mohammad Al Ansari, said that the meeting of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Tuesday with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate of the Republic of Yemen He Dr Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak, who is visiting the country, dealt with the bilateral relations, and the latest developments in Yemen, especially the political and humanitarian situation.
During the Ministry of Foreign Affairs weekly media briefing, Dr Al Ansari added that His Excellency stressed during the meeting Qatar's position in support of the Yemeni people and the continuation of the humanitarian assistance provided in various fields, especially since Qatar is committed since the first day of the crisis there to its role in providing relief and aid to the Yemeni people, as Qatar has always affirmed its position in support of all regional efforts that lead to achieving the aspirations of the Yemeni people and ensuring the unity and stability of their country.
The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reviewed the most prominent activities of the ministry during the past week, particularly the visit of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani to the Republic of Singapore, where he headed the delegation of the State of Qatar participating in the 8th Meeting of the Qatar-Singapore High-Level Joint Committee, and His Excellency's meeting with President of the Republic of Singapore HE Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore HE Lee Hsien Loong, and several officials.
He noted that during the visit several agreements and memorandums of understanding and cooperation were signed between the governments of the two countries in various fields, including an MoU for cooperation in the fields of social development and family between the governments of the two countries, an MoU on knowledge exchange and cooperation on water-related innovation challenges, an MoU on SME digitization initiatives and incubation programs, an MoU between Qatar Development Bank and Singapore Management University, an MoU on the Executive Program for Education between Qatar's Ministry of Education and Higher Education and Singapore's Ministry of Education, and an MOU between the Investment Promotion Agency (IPA Qatar) and Enterprise Singapore.
Regarding the 8th Meeting of the Qatar-Singapore High-Level Joint Committee, Dr Al Ansari pointed out to the two countries affirmation of their commitment to the role of the Qatar-Singapore High-Level Joint Committee and its importance as a main platform for expanding the Qatari-Singaporean partnership and enhancing cooperation in various fields, including economy, trade, investment, energy, security, social development, family, education, human capital development, smart city infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.
He added that Singapore welcomed Qatar's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2022, pointing out that the 9th Meeting of the Qatar-Singapore High-Level Joint Committee will be held next week in Doha.
He also referred to the lecture given by Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Shiekh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani during his visit to Singapore, which was the inaugural lecture of the IISS Raffles Lectures series, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), titled "Small states and strategies of success in a competitive world," where His Excellency touched on the vision of the State of Qatar on the challenges facing small and medium-sized countries, and ways to enhance and develop security cooperation to achieve comprehensive and sustainable security, innovative ways of using modern technology, environmental sustainability and collective action, in addition to promoting peaceful solutions and diplomatic initiatives to resolve various conflicts and wars in the region and the world.
Dr Al Ansari referred to the ministry's statement regarding the State of Qatar's welcome of the announcement of the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark to submit a bill to the parliament to ban the burning of the Quran, expressing his hope that all concerned parties would deal with the bill positively and that the issuance of the forthcoming legislation would act as a deterrent to curb hate speech and Islamophobia.
