1. On November 6, during his visit to Doha, Qatar, for the 19th Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chung Byung-won met with Minister of State of the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abulaziz Al-Khulaifi. In the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the follow-up measures to the Korean President’s recent State Visit to Qatar, ways to enhance substantive cooperation between the two countries and the situation in the Middle East. 

2. The two sides noted with appreciation the upgrade of the Korea-Qatar relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the Korea-Qatar Summit held on October 25 ahead of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, and discussed ways to bolster strategic cooperation between the two countries in line with their upgraded ties. 

° The two sides, recalling the agreement reached by the leaders of the two countries to boost strategic cooperation in the sectors of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as defense and relevant industries, agreed to continue communication and cooperation to this end. 

3. The two sides agreed to work closely together in various fields, including energy, infrastructure construction, investment, decarbonization technology, agriculture, public healthcare and culture, pursuant to the agreement reached by the two countries’ leaders to strengthen substantive cooperation in these sectors. 

° Deputy Minister Chung noted that the two countries have advanced mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of energy and infrastructure construction over the past decades and have expanded cooperation to the entire energy value chain, including imports and exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as well as LNG vessel-building, LNG transport and the maintenance of LNG vessels. He went on to express hope that Korean companies will continue participating in related projects. 

° Deputy Minister Chung also asked for interest and support to ensure that Qatar boosts investment in Korea through the Qatar Invest Authority. 

4. Deputy Minister Chung commended Qatar, saying that amid the escalating tension in the Middle East due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas armed conflict, Qatar, as a significant mediator, has been contributing to deescalating the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. 

° In particular, the Deputy Minister extended deep appreciation for efforts of Qatar and other countries with regard to the evacuation of foreign nationals via the Rafah border crossing as well as the safe entry of five Korean nationals into Egypt from the Gaza Strip on November 2. 

5. Deputy Minister Chung conveyed deep concern over the rapidly increasing civilian casualties due to the intensifying armed clashes in the said region, underscoring the need to prevent innocent civilians from being affected any further. 

° The Deputy Minister, referring to the Korean government’s decision to provide through international organizations US$2 million in humanitarian assistance to help civilians affected by the crisis, stated that the Korean government will work with the international community to bring a swift end to the armed conflict.