PM Lee Hsien Loong at Official Dinner for Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani

Your Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar

Ministers

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

On behalf of the Government of Singapore, I bid a warm welcome to Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah and your delegation. This is your inaugural visit as Prime Minister, but you are no stranger to Singapore. As Minister of the Interior, you forged close ties with the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs.  We are delighted to welcome you back in your new capacity.        

Your visit takes place at a time of significant developments – globally and in our regions. Asia has come through the Global Financial Crisis quite well, but many Asian countries are at transition points. 

In China, under a new leadership, the Central Committee has just held its Third Plenum, and set out the directions for reforms and policies to sustain growth and build a stable and harmonious society. 

In Japan, Prime Minister Abe has revived confidence and optimism in the economy, and is now pursuing the more difficult task of structural reforms to restore it to vigour and health.

In Southeast Asia, the ASEAN countries are working towards achieving an Economic Community by 2015. We are also negotiating a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which is an FTA between ASEAN and its major trading partners. 

The situation in the Middle East has been complex. The consequences of the Arab Spring, the conflict in Syria, and Iran’s nuclear programme have been in the headlines, yet there are many bright spots in the region. 

The Gulf Cooperation economies are growing steadily, and pursuing closer regional integration. Qatar has transformed itself under His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad and now His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim. 

Qatar’s GDP has been growing by 13% annually over the last five years. Its international profile has risen in many fields, through its active diplomacy, through its successful hosting of the 18th UNFCCC Conference last year, and through the Qatar Foundation’s education initiatives. It is therefore fitting that your beautiful country will host the beautiful game’s most important competition – the World Cup – in 2022. We wish you every success in this ambitious project.      

Our bilateral relationship fits within the larger context of these regional developments. Singapore-Qatar ties have made significant progress, overseen by the High-Level Joint Committee. We are both small countries amongst bigger neighbours. Thus we share similar strategic outlooks, both striving to engage countries beyond our immediate neighbourhood, and making friends all over the world. Our economic ties are developing, bilateral investments are increasing, and we are cooperating well in energy. 

Singapore and Qatar can do much more together, not just bilaterally but with our respective regions. Singapore can be a launch pad for Qatar’s engagement of East Asia, just as Qatar can be our gateway into the Middle East. ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) should also strengthen their ties to seize the opportunities in our respective regions. 

I am thus glad that the ASEAN-GCC Foreign Ministers will meet in Bahrain later this month to discuss this. I am confident they will come up with meaningful initiatives to deepen our friendship.

I look forward to hearing Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah’s views, and discussing how we can further our partnership over dinner. Thank you.

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