The latest agreement comes within the framework of the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council, which was set up to strengthen relations.
Qatar has entered into an agreement within the field of digital governance with its Gulf neighbour Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, the Qatari Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) announced that the department’s minister, Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai and his Saudi counterpart, Minister Abdullah bin Amer Alsawaha were the signatories of the agreement.
This latest agreement will enhance bilateral digital government transformation – including capacity and competency building. This will facilitate research, development and investment drives to better Qatari and Saudi digital governance.
The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the KSA’s third edition of the international LEAP conference held in Riyadh.
LEAP is an annual technology convention that attracts thousands of international and local tech innovators and hundreds of experts from many countries far and wide.
During the signing ceremony, Al Mannai hailed the strong relations between Qatar and the Saudi Kingdom as paving the way for mutually beneficial opportunities across many sectors. And, the latest agreement inked highlighted the common dedication to enhancing technological innovation and advancement.
He added: “We anticipate a productive partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that fosters the exchange of experiences and best practices in delivering government services, digital transformation, infrastructure development, and innovation promotion”.
Qatar-KSA Coordination Council
In the news release published on Monday, the Qatari MCIT said this latest cooperation comes within the framework of the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council (QSCC).
In 2021, two Gulf nations emerged with news of establishing the QSCC to advance bilateral relations and partnerships in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and Saudi’s Vision 2030.
Later, in December 2023, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the KSA’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, co-chaired the first meeting of the QSCC executive committee held in Doha.
During the meeting, the council discussed the progress of working groups and subcommittees. This resulted in roadmapping of future initiatives and memorandums of understanding to be signed.
Sheikh Mohammed and Prince Faisal also stressed the importance of maintaining strong bilateral Qatari and Saudi ties. They said this would promote the leadership aspirations of both countries and benefit the people.
