Korean National Day celebrated

South Korea’s Ambassador to Qatar Kim Chang-mo underlined the strong bilateral ties between his country and Qatar which he vowed to further strengthen, as he addressed the Korean National Day reception yesterday.

Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Dr. Mohammed Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi,; Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chief of Protocol Ibrahim Yousif Fakhro and Eritrean Ambassador and Dean of Diplomatic Corps Ali Ibrahim Ahmed attended the auspicious event along with other officials, ambassadors, diplomats and members of the Korean community.

In particular, the ambassador highlighted how Korea and Qatar are benefitting from their friendly relations sustaining strong ties in the fields of energy and economy - Qatar being the  No.1 LNG supplier and eighth largest foreign construction market to Korea, and Korea being the No. 2 trade partner to Qatar. “We attach great importance to this mutually beneficial partnership. The cooperation between Qatar, one of the biggest LNG exporters in the world, and Korea, one of the main LNG importers, is important for the development of global LNG market. I sincerely hope this cooperation between our two countries continues to grow,” he stressed.

He recalled how year 2019 had been a significant year for Qatar-Korea relations because of a number of high-level visits and important events which further deepened bilateral ties.

“In January, Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani paid an official visit to Korea, being the first Head-of-State-level guest in 2019. His visit has contributed to enhancing bilateral cooperation and mutual trust between our two friendly countries. On that occasion, seven MOUs were signed, in various areas of mutual interests, from agriculture to smart grid technology,” he said.

He said the visit to Qatar of Korean Prime Minister Lee Nakyon in July, only six months after H H Amir’s visit to Korea reflected the two countries’ strong willingness to enhance the bilateral relationship through high level exchange of visits.

“During his visit, H E the Prime Minister Lee had a very productive meeting with H E the Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, maintaining the momentum of bilateral cooperation,” he added.

One of the important events this year the ambassador mentioned was the Qatar-Korea Medical Symposium jointly held in Doha by Medical Services of Qatar Armed Forces and the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea which witnessed the medical and healthcare experts of the two countries share their knowledge and experiences.

He pointed out the 5th  Qatar-Korea High Level Strategic Cooperation Committee meeting held two weeks ago as another key event  as it “reviewed developments of bilateral cooperation in various sectors and discussed ways to enhance the cooperation not only in energy and infrastructure, but also in new areas such as healthcare and high technologies.”

In addition, there was also the Qatari-Korean Business Forum, held on the sidelines of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Committee meeting, providing an opportunity for the business community in both countries to meet and build partnership, necessary for more active and consolidated economic cooperation.

“As Korean Ambassador to Qatar, I’m truly honoured and pleased to see all these developments during my tenure. I am convinced that there are potentials to further promote cooperation in many areas. I’m determined to make every effort to enhance bilateral ties for our mutual benefits,” he stressed. He expressed hope all positive developments in bilateral relations contribute to better conditions for the Korean community in Qatar.

The reception, which was held at InterContinental Doha, also featured Doha-based Korean musicians Sonja Park, Kim Nayoung, Lee Eunhye, Shin Jihoon, Kim Taehyun, Lee Juncheol and Kim Jiyeon performing a selection of classical musical pieces.