Qatar: Qatar And Korea Expanding Their Strategic Partnership

The Sixth High-Level Strategic Cooperation Committee between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Korea was held in Seoul on June 15, 2023¹, with His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al-Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry, and His Excellency Mr. Lee, Chang-Yang, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea, co-chairing the meeting. The committee highlighted the strategic partnership between Qatar and Korea, emphasizing shared interests and the signing of several MOUs between the two countries.

Alongside the committee meeting, several MOUs were signed between Qatar and Korea in the economic, trade, and investment fields. These included an agreement between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Qatar and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO).²

Utilizing its expertise in efficient and precise examination services, coupled with the integration of IT tools throughout its operations, KIPO has previously collaborated with other nations in the Middle East, namely Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Having successfully established a cooperative partnership with Qatar, KIPO expressed satisfaction with this significant agreement and expressed eagerness for the forthcoming development of tangible projects through close communication with their Qatari counterparts. Another MOU was signed between the Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPAQ)³ and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) to facilitate joint investments. Furthermore, an MOU was signed with the Korean company "NEXTON⁴" to enhance cooperation in smart agriculture and food security.

The economic relations between the two nations were emphasized, with the Republic of Korea being Qatar's third-largest trading partner, surpassing $14 billion in bilateral trade in 2022.⁵

The committee meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, construction, infrastructure, agriculture, shipping, civil aviation, health, education, high-tech, technology, culture, and sports.

Footnotes

^{1. During the Sixth High-Level Strategic Cooperation Committee Between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Korea Qatar and Korea explore ways to strengthen their strategic partnership – Ministry of Commerce and Industry (moci.gov.qa) (2023.6.15)}

^{2. Korean Intellectual Property Office Public Relations > News (kipo.go.kr) (2023.6.27)}

^{3. (1) Invest Qatar on Twitter: "IPA Qatar is pleased to announce that we have entered into a strategic partnership with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency to promote investment and trade between The State of Qatar and The Republic of Korea. #InvestQatar #Partnership #Investment https://t.co/crVrvJ3l8D" / Twitter (2023.6.18)}

^{4. NEXTON}

^{5. Qatar-South Korea bilateral trade surges to $15.4bn in first 11 months of 2022 | The Peninsula Qatar (2023.6.29)}

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