Qatar has strengthened its relations with Malaysia further. This was evident when the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and H E the Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamed witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a high-level joint committee between Qatar and Malaysia.
Prior to the signing of MoU, H H the Amir and H E Prime Minister of Malaysia held official talks at the Amiri Diwan. Both sides discussed the close bilateral relations and ways of developing and boosting them in different spheres, in addition to the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 scheduled on December 19, in which H H the Amir will participate at the invitation of the Malaysian Prime Minister.
Qatari-Malaysian relations culminated in several historical visits by H H the Amir to Malaysia in 2015 and 2017, the last of which was in December 2018 that opened the doors to developing relations between the two countries and pushing them to a wider strategic level, especially in the economic, commercial exchange, investment opportunities and human and social development fields, in a way that serves the common interests of the two countries and two brotherly peoples.
Qatar and Malaysia stand on one line, confirmed by the convergence of views between the two countries on various regional and international issues, and a common determination to enhance their cooperation in international forums and contribute with the international community in efforts to maintain international peace and security, combat terrorism, protect human rights and solve disputes through dialogue and peaceful means in accordance with the provisions of international law and the rules of international legality.
The visit of H E Dr. Mahathir Mohamed has contributed to the strengthening of relations between the two countries, pushing them towards broader prospects, especially in the economic, commercial and investment fields. The future of Qatari-Malaysian cooperation is promising in light of the economic potential of both countries, which will bolster trade that reached $291m in the first half of 2019. More than 85 Malaysian companies, including 13 fully-owned Malaysian firms and 72 jointly-owned Qatari-Malaysian companies, are currently operating in Qatar’s engineering, construction, oil and gas and information technology sectors.
Malaysian economy ranks third among the countries of Southeast Asia after Indonesia and Thailand. With foreign investment, heavy industries flourished within years, and its exports became the main growth engine. The electronics industry’s contribution amounts to about 24.5 % in the country’s GDP. Malaysia has natural resources in agriculture, forestry and minerals fields. It is one of the leading exporters of natural rubber and palm oil, among others.
The relations between Qatar and Malaysia are strong, deep, progressing and continuously growing. Qatar is also an important economic partner to Malaysia where the volume of trade exchange between the two countries is increasing by the day.
