(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
QNA
Doha: Ambassador of Canada to Qatar H E Isabelle Marie Catherine Martin praised the visit of Amir H H sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Canada as an occasion to highlight priorities for bilateral collaboration, especially as they are working together closely on a number of files.
The Ambassador said that Qatar has been a valuable and reliable partner for Canada in challenging times, expressing Canada's desire to deepen the economic and trade relationship with Qatar. There are promising opportunities in a range of sectors such as clean technologies, Agriculture and agri-food, health and life sciences, and information technology.
The Ambassador commended Qatar's support for her country in many fields, including Qatar Airways' role during the COVID-19 pandemic in helping bring home 15,000 Canadians from over ten countries between April and July 2020, in addition to Qatar's invaluable support in evacuating Canadians from Afghanistan in 2021.
Martin said that HH the Amir's visit to Canada comes at an auspicious time, as 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Qatar, with Amir
H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani being the first Head of State from the Gulf region to visit Canada in at least 30 years, demonstrating Canada's desire to deepen its partnership at the highest levels with Qatar.
She added in May 2024, both countries formalized their commitment to this relationship by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for annual bilateral political consultations, with the first session held this past May in Doha, looking forward to continuing this productive partnership and building on it further.
She pointed out that her country and Qatar also signed a Defense Cooperation Arrangement in 2021 to strengthen their bilateral defense relationship and provide an overarching framework for the coordination of various defense cooperation activities, including peace and humanitarian operations, and personnel training.
She underlined that high-level visits, especially those at the leader-level, provide an invaluable opportunity to build personal rapport and trust, which in turn allows countries to identify new avenues for advancing shared priorities. It is also a fantastic opportunity for learning about available opportunities in Canada, highlighting in this regard her country's contribution in enhancing Qatar's capabilities in the field of food security.
Regarding trade exchange, the Ambassador of Canada to Qatar Isabelle Marie Catherine Martin told QNA that the level of trade between Canada and Qatar has been increasing at a modest pace, while saying that in 2023, Qatar was Canada's key trade partner with a bilateral merchandise trade total of about $427m. Canada exported approximately $227.5m worth of goods to Qatar including iron ores, aircraft trainers, electrical machinery, photographic and optical equipment, and pharmaceutical products. In 2022, commercial services trade (2022) between Canada and Qatar totalled $51m.
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