The ninth meeting of the Qatar-Singapore High-Level Joint Committee (HLJC) was held in Doha Monday. The HLJC was co-chaired by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of Singapore Lawrence Wong. The meeting was attended by ministers and senior officials from both countries. The Qatar delegation included His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani; His Excellency the Chief of the Amiri Diwan Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Mubarak al-Khulaifi; His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Eng Saad bin Sherida al-Kaabi; and a number of ministers. The Singapore delegation included Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan; Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry Dr Tan See Leng; Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim; and a number of senior officials of the accompanying delegation. HH the Amir and the Singapore PM reaffirmed the warm and longstanding relations between Qatar and Singapore and the importance of the HLJC as the key platform for providing strategic direction to bilateral co-operation. This was underscored by the elevation of the HLJC Co-chairs to HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Lawrence Wong. Building on the strong foundations of co-operation and mutual trust between Qatar and Singapore, both leaders agreed to work towards elevating bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership. Qatar will become Singapore's second Strategic Partner in the Middle East. The leaders welcomed the positive outcomes from the third meeting of the Implementation Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) of the HLJC in Doha in September 2026, and reaffirmed the value of the IMM in facilitating regular follow-up and translating key decisions and agreements from the HLJC. The leaders encouraged both sides to continue high-level and sectoral engagements and expressed their shared desire to broaden and deepen co-operation in trade and investment, energy, sustainable development, security, education, social development, and human capital development. The leaders welcomed the growing co-operation in artificial intelligence (AI), digitalisation, and emerging technologies, recognising these areas as having potential to become an important bilateral co-operation pillar. They encouraged co-operation among government agencies, research institutions, academia, and the private sector in AI, digital government, cybersecurity, data, innovation, research and development, and emerging technologies. They also encouraged exchanges of expertise and best practices, greater co-operation in developing digital and AI talent, and partnerships that promote practical applications of AI and emerging technologies. The leaders underscored the importance of trusted, secure and responsible digital and AI ecosystems, including co-operation on cybersecurity and digital resilience. The leaders welcomed the strengthening of security engagement, including in the areas of defence industry, maritime security, and cybersecurity. In this regard, both sides noted the defence services agreement signed in February 2026 between Barzan Holdings and ST Engineering valued at QR1.5bn (S$470mn). They also encouraged the relevant authorities to further explore engagement in digital defence, maritime security and the exchange of expertise, with a view to enhancing the resilience and security of both countries and addressing evolving traditional and non-traditional security challenges. The leaders welcomed the renewal of the MoU between QatarEnergy and the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry of Singapore on Cooperation in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Low-Carbon Technology. The MoU underscores both sides' commitment to facilitating stable LNG procurement supply chains and energy security, especially in light of recent market developments. The leaders expressed serious concern over the situation in the Middle East. They commended Qatar's sustained diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue and de-escalation in the region. The leaders underscored the importance of upholding navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law, in particular the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ensuring international shipping, including in the Strait of Hormuz, remains open, safe and secure, and the safety of seafarers and vessels in accordance with the relevant international conventions. They reaffirmed their shared commitment to a rules-based international order and multilateralism to collectively address global challenges. The leaders welcomed Qatar's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Sectoral Dialogue Partner status and looked forward to strengthening Qatar-Asean and Asean-GCC co-operation, including through the convening of the third Asean-GCC Summit and continued efforts towards concluding an Asean-GCC Free Trade Agreement during Singapore's Chairmanship of Asean in 2027. Both sides looked forward to the state visit of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Singapore as an important opportunity to launch the Qatar-Singapore Strategic Partnership. The leaders agreed to convene the 10th HLJC meeting in Singapore at a mutually convenient time, to be determined through diplomatic channels.