The two countries established ties in 1984 and have cooperated in various fields.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with various officials in Singapore on Wednesday in a bid to boost the two countries’ bilateral ties.
Currently on a tour of Asia, Sheikh Mohammed met with Singapore’s second Foreign Minister and second Minister of Education Mohamad Maliki bin Osman to discuss bilateral ties in the economy, investment, education, and training sectors.
The two officials also reviewed regional and international developments, including Palestine and the 2015 nuclear accord.
“Pleased to meet my brother HE Dr. Maliki Osman, second Foreign Minister & second Minister of Education of Singapore, to discuss developing our relations, especially in the economic and investment fields. Looking forward to strengthen cooperation to achieve our mutual aspirations,” tweeted Sheikh Mohammed.
The Qatari official also met with Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong.
“During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral cooperation relations, especially in the areas of investments between the two countries, trade exchange, energy security, and benefiting from the exchange of economic experiences in the two countries,” said Qatar’s foreign ministry.
The Qatari diplomat announced that he is currently on a tour in Asia that includes Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea.
Speaking to Qatar’s news agency (QNA), the Gulf state’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Majed Al Ansari said that the tour aims at strengthening Doha’s ties with the Asian continent in numerous fields, including energy.
Asian countries represent Qatar’s top consumers of liquified natural gas (LNG). Dr. Al Ansari added that “several regional and international issues would be addressed” during the meetings and “ways of cooperation would be discussed to enhance joint action to solve them”.
Sheikh Mohammed was in Cambodia last week for the 55th meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). During the meeting, Qatar joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation with ASEAN.
ASEAN was established in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Qatar-Singapore ties
The two countries established ties in 1984 and have cooperated in various fields.
In 2020, Qatar and Singapore signed the first long-term LNG deal that details pollution levels. The 10-year agreement details the quantity of greenhouse emissions and is hoped to deliver at least 1.8 million tonnes annually starting from 2023.
Previously in 2017, Qatar and Singapore signed the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) in an effort to further boost mutual investment between the two countries while protecting the interests of Qatari and Singaporean investors.
The benefits investors get out of the agreement entails “non-discriminatory treatment, protection from illegal seizure of property, and the freedom to transfer capital and returns in and out of the country.”
During the same year, Qatar and Singapore held a joint economic forum in Singapore, bringing together economic experts and investors from both countries.
In 2013, the GCC and Singapore signed a free trade agreement (GSFTA), which eliminates most tariffs by up to 99% on Singapore exports into the Gulf bloc.
Meanwhile in 2007, Qatar and Singapore signed double tax avoidance agreements (DTAs), that relieves the “double taxation of income that is earned in one jurisdiction by a resident of another.”
