Singapore congratulates Qatar on successful hosting of the World Cup
Singapore has congratulated Qatar on its successful hosting of the ongoing 2022 Fifa World Cup, commending the nation on its outstanding efforts to deliver an enjoyable tournament.
Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam, who are in the country on a working visit, also lauded Qatar for rising above the challenges in hosting the major sporting event, the first time it is being held in the Middle East.
During their three-day visit, which ends on Saturday, they met Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, where they reaffirmed the importance of the Qatar-Singapore High Level Joint Committee (HLJC) as a platform to explore new areas of cooperation, including in renewable energy and food security.
They agreed to work towards convening the 8th edition of the HLJC in 2023, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Saturday.
Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, and Shanmugam were hosted to lunch by Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah.
The ministers reaffirmed the warm ties and excellent bilateral cooperation, and had a wide-ranging discussion on regional and global developments.
They were also hosted to dinner by Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
The Singaporean ministers thanked Sheikh Mohammed for the invitation to visit Qatar for the World Cup, and reaffirmed the shared desire by both countries to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest and had a productive discussion on developments in the Middle East and Asia.
Teo and Shanmugam attended the World Cup quarter-final match between Argentina and the Netherlands, with Argentina progressing to the semi-finals.