1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha spoke over the phone with Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, on the afternoon of July 8 and discussed cooperation on response to COVID-19 and economic cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the State of Qatar, including the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
 

2. Minister Kang welcomed the 19.2 billion U.S. dollar LNG vessels slot agreements signed between three Korean shipbuilders and Qatar Petroleum, and asked for the Qatari government’s continued attention to ensure that the slot agreements lead to main contracts.

° Minister Kang indicated that the agreements represent an exemplary and mutually beneficial case concluded through discussions between the top levels of the two countries. As announced by the presidential office, she added that the agreements would mark to both countries a sign of rebound from the economic crisis triggered by COVID-19.

° Minister Mohammed affirmed that the agreements are a highly symbolic achievement in bilateral LNG cooperation, and underscored that the two countries need to bolster mutual economic cooperation between them.

3. Minister Kang extended appreciation to the Qatari government for helping Korean nationals return home safely via special and direct flights operated by Qatar Airways and for allowing exceptional entry of Korean business people into Qatar. She went on to ask for increased exchanges of essential workforce.

° ​ Minister Mohammed responded that the Qatari government will gladly render assistance to Korean nationals and entrepreneurs in any way that it can be helpful to them. He added that, with the growth in the number of newly infected cases lately subsiding in Qatar, the two countries will be able to resume workforce exchanges in the near future.

4. Minister Kang highly commended Qatar for maintaining a low death rate and for the decrease in the number of newly infected cases, and expressed hope that the medical equipment from the ROK had been helpful in that regard.

° Minister Mohammed conveyed gratitude to the ROK for sharing its knowhow in COVID-19 response and suggested that the two countries actively expand health cooperation.

° The two Ministers agreed to continue not only bilateral but also multilateral cooperation, including in the “United Nations Group of Friends of Solidarity for Global Health Security,” in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.

5. Minister Kang asked for the Qatari government’s support to the Korean candidate, Minister for Trade Yoo Myung-hee, who is running in the election of the next Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and Minister Mohammed responded that, the Korean candidate being very competent, it will be a very good opportunity for the ROK.

6. Amid the difficulty in making visits due to COVID-19, the telephone conversation served as an opportunity for the ROK and Qatar to review the progress in bilateral cooperation on disease prevention and control and to agree on seeking further achievements in bilateral economic cooperation in the LNG area.