PM Lee Hsien Loong at the 8th Qatar-Singapore High Level Joint Committee Meeting

Your Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar
Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean
Members of the Qatari and Singaporean delegations

A very good morning to everybody. I am delighted to be here to open the 8th Qatar-Singapore High Level Joint Committee (HLJC) meeting.

Sheikh Mohammed and I had a very good discussion yesterday in a call, and after that over lunch, on geopolitical developments and our bilateral relations. Significant transformations are underway in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, indeed in the world.

We agreed that in this dynamic environment there is good potential to do more together. In fact, it is imperative for Singapore and Qatar to step up our cooperation. A stable, open trading environment is crucial for the survival of small states like Singapore and Qatar. But today, the global multilateral trading system is under siege. Many countries are “friend shoring”, onshoring and adopting protectionist policies. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly changed the way we do business and interact with each another. One silver lining in these clouds is the digital sector. The digital economy and AI are today important drivers of growth in many countries, including Singapore and Qatar. We have to equip our businesses well, and build a comprehensive and safe digital ecosystem to take full advantage of these trends and developments.

Therefore, Singapore and Qatar can work together on many fronts. We can work together to contribute to supporting a global environment that has allowed us to thrive, to learn from each other’s experiences, and discover new ways of working together. So the HLJC theme of “Partners in Growth” is especially apt, and captures the essence of our relationship well.

It is timely that we are convening this High Level Joint Committee meeting now. For 17 years, the HLJC has been a key platform for cooperation between Singapore and Qatar. Cumulatively, we have signed more than 30 agreements. I am very glad that yesterday, together with Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed, we witnessed the signing of several more agreements between our countries. I am very grateful for the work of our HLJC co-chairs to continually push the boundaries for bilateral relations. In particular, we owe special thanks to His Highness Emir Sheikh Tamim, who had co-chaired the first few HLJCs, and remains a strong supporter of relations with Singapore.

You will have a full agenda for in your meeting today, with briefings on digital government and artificial intelligence as well as on investment opportunities in Qatar. Singapore desires to strengthen its partnership with Qatar, and we sense that Qatar too is keen to enhance its friendship and cooperation with Singapore. Therefore, I hope these discussions will catalyse not just deeper collaboration, but also friendships more closely, as we celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations next year.

I wish you all a very successful and fruitful meeting.

Thank you very much.