Qatar, South Korea explore ways to strengthen strategic partnership

The Sixth High-Level Strategic Co-operation Committee between Qatar and South Korea held in Seoul Thursday.
HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Abdullah al-Thani and South Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang chaired the committee meeting.
During the meeting, HE Sheikh Mohamed praised the progress achieved during the sixth committee and appreciated the results in areas of common interest.
He emphasised the importance of bilateral co-operation in the development of both countries. Qatar considers South Korea as a strategic partner due to shared interests with several signed MoUs between the two nations.
The minister called on the Qatari and South Korean private sectors to strengthen co-operation and build solid partnerships, aligning with the mutual aspirations for progress, development, and prosperity.
HE Sheikh Mohamed also highlighted the strength of the economic relations between the two nations, with the Republic of Korea being Qatar’s third-largest trading partner with the bilateral trade exceeding $14bn in 2022.
During the session, co-operation in various priority fields was discussed, along with the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the working group.
The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral co-operation in trade, investment, construction, infrastructure, agriculture, shipping, civil aviation, health, education, high-tech, technology, culture, and sports.
On the sidelines of the committee, HE Sheikh Mohamed witnessed the signing ceremony of several MoUs between Qatar and South Korea in the economy, trade and investments sectors.
These MoUs included an agreement between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). For Qatar, it was signed by Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Hamar, Qatar’s ambassador to South Korea.
Additionally, an MoU was signed between the Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) to facilitate joint investments between the two countries.
Another MoU was signed with the South Korean company ‘Nexton’ to strengthen co-operation in smart agriculture and food security. The memorandum was signed by Sheikh Ali Alwaleed al-Thani, CEO, of IPA Qatar, on the Qatari side.
Several Qatari entities and institutions also participated in the Qatari–South Korean Investment Forum, held alongside the sixth session of the joint committee.
The forum featured presentations by the IPA Qatar, Qatar Free Zones, Qatar Chamber, and Qatar Science & Technology Park, highlighting the incentives and promising investment opportunities Qatar offers to foreign investors. Bilateral meetings were also conducted between businessmen from both sides to explore co-operation, and joint projects and establish long-term economic co-operation between Qatari and South Korean companies.