Smart farming and fishery will be among the main topics to be discussed during the ‘5th Korea-Qatar High Level Strategic Cooperation Committee’ meeting slated to be held in Doha this year, a high-ranking South Korean diplomat has said.
Ambassador Heung Kyeong Park said preparations are underway for the ministerial meeting, which is expected to be co-chaired by HE the Minister of Energy and Industry, Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada, and his South Korean counterpart.
“We are expecting that the meeting will take place within the year…and we would like to focus on cooperation in the agriculture and fisheries sector. That would be the priority,” Park told Gulf Times .
The ambassador also said that preparations are being made to finalise a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on initiatives in the fields of agriculture and fishery.
“At the moment, we are focusing on the MoU itself and we are finalising the details. My initial idea is to start with G2G (government to government) cooperation in those areas,” Park pointed out.
Earlier, Park said the ‘5th Korea-Qatar High Level Strategic Cooperation Committee’ will also discuss cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, energy, infrastructure, and healthcare.
He also underscored South Korea’s long history in the field of agriculture, particularly national programme on development and skills dissemination initiatives for South Korean farmers.
He noted that South Korea’s experience in G2G cooperation projects will serve as “an advantage.”
“I believe South Korea can provide these skills and experience to Qatar in the field of agriculture,” he said.
“On the Qatari side, they wish to expand their capacity in greenhouse farming and other agricultural projects, and they would also like to develop their aquaculture industry. Fortunately, we have plenty of skills and experience in that area.”
On South Korea’s role in Qatar’s self-sufficiency initiatives, Park emphasised that the South Korean embassy in Qatar has supported the country’s self-sufficiency programmes even before the economic blockade was imposed in June 2017.
