Amir’s visit a milestone in Qatar-Canada ties

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s visit to Canada serves as a milestone in the history of Qatar-Canada relations.The visit, the first of its kind, is expected to further beef up bilateral relations and elevate collaboration across areas of economy, education, politics, and trade.It will push co-ordination on global political and security issues.Marked by a long history of strong friendship, the Qatar-Canada relations are based on mutual respect and common interests, with both sides showing further commitment to bolstering multi-field co-operation.Since 1974, the two countries have made great strides in building trust, and exchanging benefits across various fields, leading to mutual understandings and producing exemplary contributions to the whole world.His Highness the Amir’s upcoming visit highlights the two countries’ adherence to boosting strategic partnership across various fields, from energy to education, trade and natural resources.These relations reflect a high level of understanding and co-ordination between Qatar and Canada, and streamline further investment opportunities and fruitful co-operation.In May, His Highness the Amir received a phone call from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, with the two sides discussing bilateral friendship and co-operation and ways to boost them.The deliberations covered the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, in addition to several regional and international issues of common interest.Another phone call His Highness the Amir received from Trudeau in January discussed the latest developments in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.Trudeau extended his thanks and appreciation to His Highness the Amir for Qatar’s regional and international diplomatic and humanitarian efforts, especially in Gaza.In a phone conversation in November last year, His Highness the Amir and Trudeau took stock of the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, several regional and international issues of common interest and bilateral co-operation relations and prospects for enhancing them.The Canadian prime minister also extended his thanks and appreciation to His Highness the Amir for Qatar’s diplomatic efforts regarding the situation in Gaza.To further elevate bilateral relations, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani received Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen and Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith, in December last year on the sidelines of the Doha Forum.The meetings discussed bilateral relations and ways to boost them.In October 2022, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Dr Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah met then-Canadian minister of national defence Anita Anand in Ottawa and discussed bilateral co-operation.On the economic front, Canada is one of the world’s biggest and diverse economies and a member of many international organisations, such as the G8 (Group of Eight Industrialised Nations) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).Trade exchange between Qatar and Canada has recently surged to QR1.358bn in 2023 from QR620mn in 2021.Canada’s exports to Qatar include aircraft and spare parts, machinery and electrical equipment, and paper products, while its imports include mineral fuels, aluminium, and fertilisers.Leveraging on the increased bilateral co-operation, both countries are continuously developing investment co-operation especially in energy, technology, health, and defence, with Canadian companies playing a vital role in developing Qatar’s infrastructure.QatarEnergy placed a successful bid for Parcel 8 of the Orphan Basin, offshore the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.The Parcel 8 winning bid by QatarEnergy (30% working interest) and ExxonMobil (operator, with a 70% working interest) was announced by the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) as part of the 2022 Newfoundland and Labrador Call For Bids NL22-CFB01.Also part of expanding trade and investment co-operation was a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in June sealed by the Qatar Financial Centre and the Canada Arab Business Council, a non-profit organisation that aims to enhance trade and investment relations between Canada and the Arab world.The MoU aims to establish an integrated framework for co-operation and co-ordination in specific sectors through joint initiatives and the exchange of information and expertise, with a focus on stimulating growth and promoting innovation in areas such as financial services and professional business services.In the field of education, the University of Calgary – Qatar (UCQ) offers a Bachelor of Nursing, and there are several Doha-based schools that offer Canadian curricula.Furthermore, Canada has great natural and climatic diversity, and is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of agricultural products, especially wheat and grains.It also has tremendous natural resources reserves, including forest products in British Columbia, oil and gas in Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, in addition to minerals such as coal, copper, iron, gold and nickel.These resources constitute important opportunities for bilateral trade co-operation, especially in energy, gas drilling and production, water treatment, and agricultural security issues.Consultations between Qatari and Canadian investors have shown a common interest in exploring co-operation across these areas in addition to artificial intelligence and advanced technology.