Saudi Arabia Qatar sign 6 pacts to boost ties
Posted by Zawya.com
Arab News
23 February 2010


JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia and Qatar have signed six agreements to strengthen cooperation between the two GCC neighbors, especially in the areas of health, agriculture, commerce, information and political coordination.

The agreements were signed following a meeting of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council in Doha on Monday. The meeting was co-chaired by Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif and Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

The meeting, which was attended by senior Cabinet members from both countries, explored the prospects of expanding cooperation in political, military, security, economic, commercial, investment and cultural fields as well as in media and Islamic affairs.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Prince Naif said the formation of the coordination council would strengthen cooperation between the two countries in all areas. "We are happy about the achievements of the last meeting in 2009 and also about this meeting," the Saudi Press Agency quoted Prince Naif as saying.

Asked about Saudi Arabia's stand on Iran's nuclear program, Prince Naif said: "We have the same stand as other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which was clearly stated during the last summit in Kuwait."

Answering a related question, Sheikh Tamim said his recent visit to Tehran had been preplanned on the basis of an invitation from the Iranian government. "My discussions in Tehran focused on ways of strengthening stability in the region," he pointed out. Earlier in his address, Prince Naif stressed the need for strengthening political and security coordination between the two countries in order to confront challenges.

Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani signed documents for setting up the coordination council and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for coordination between the two foreign ministries.

The two ministers signed another agreement for diplomatic and consular cooperation. Commerce and Industry Minister Abdullah Zainal Alireza and Qatari State Minister for International Cooperation Khaled Al-Attiyah signed a MOU for cooperation between the commerce ministries in the two countries. Alireza and Qatari Energy Minister Abdullah Al-Attiyah signed a deal for industrial cooperation.

Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja and his Qatari counterpart, Hamad Al-Kawari, signed an agreement for cultural and information cooperation. Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh and Khaled Al-Attiyah, who is acting Islamic affairs minister in Qatar, signed an MOU for cooperation in Islamic affairs and endowments.

Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and his Qatari counterpart Abdullah Al-Qahtani signed another accord for health cooperation. Agriculture Minister Fahd Balghonaim and Qatari Environment Minister Abdullah Al-Maadhadi signed an agreement for cooperation in agriculture, livestock and fisheries, while Alireza and Khaled Al-Attiyah signed another deal for cooperation between the two commerce ministries.

By P. K. ABDUL GHAFOUR

© Arab News 2010

News Link: http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100224032158/Saudi Arabia Qatar Sign 6 Pacts To Boost Ties