HE the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Korea Mohamed Abdullah al-Duhaimi has said that the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Sunday will further strengthen the strong relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Korea, diversify areas of co-operation and create new partnerships.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the Ambassador said that the visit will also establish a qualitative momentum in the relations between the two countries in the coming years and open the door for broad co-operation outside the traditional fields of co-operation, where Korean companies can contribute significantly and effectively to diversifying the Qatari economy away from the energy sector, within the framework of Qatar National Vision 2030.
The Ambassador underlined that the Asian tour of HH the Amir, which includes South Korea, Japan and China, is an important Qatari step to register a strong presence in this dynamic region, diplomatically and politically, noting that Korea is the main economic artery in Asia and the world, Qatar's second largest economic partner and the second largest gas importer of the Qatari LNG.
He noted that the diplomatic relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Korea began in 1974. The Embassy of the State of Qatar was opened in the Republic of Korea in 1992. Since then, the relations between the two countries have developed greatly and are now strong and based on mutual interests and will witness further development in the future. He explained that the development of relations between the two countries to the current level is due to mutual visits between the leaders of the two countries, especially the visit of HH the Amir in 2014, in addition to the mutual visits between the two sides at the highest level.
On the economic and commercial side, al-Duhaimi said that the joint strategic co-operation committee between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Korea is the one concerned with promoting co-operation between the two countries. The committee works to promote joint co-operation and follow up the development of various fields of co-operation between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Korea, including economy, trade, investment, agriculture, science and technology, national defence and security, information and communication technology, education, health and medical services.
The Ambassador said the economic and trade side had been the backbone of the Qatari-Korean relations at first, but in recent years the relations started to develop to broader horizons across all fields including investment, culture, media and sports.
He reviewed some of the other areas of co-operation between Qatar and South Korea, such as the field of medicine, where there is an agreement between the two countries to send Qatari patients for treatment in South Korea, and to exchange medical expertise between the two countries.
In the cultural field, the Ambassador said that a delegation of Qatari high school students visited South Korea and visited a number of universities, research centres and museums. A Qatari delegation of students also visited the Republic of Korea and lived with some Korean families to learn about the Korean culture.
On the agreements signed between the two countries, the Ambassador said that during the visit of HH the Amir to the Republic of Korea in 2014, 12 agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed between the two countries, while during the visit of former President of Korea to the State of Qatar in 2015, the two countries signed four agreements and memorandums of understanding in various fields.
He noted that a set of memorandums of understanding in certain specialised areas such as technology, smart farms, smart networks, and joint investments will be signed during the current visit.
The Qatari ambassador added that the current visit will also include a meeting between HH the Amir and HE President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in to discuss means of developing and promoting bilateral relations in all fields to serve the interests of both countries, in addition to issues and developments in the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula.
