Saudi Qatari Coordination Council holds first meeting and signs

Prince Naif suggested that the great challenges facing our region at
the political, security, financial and economic levels necessitate
the world community's reconsideration of the mechanisms and means of
dealing with these challenges.

To our satisfaction, the leaders of our two countries do care about
forging the joint action approach to confront these challenges. We
are confident that the authorities in our two countries would double
efforts to put this approach into effect and invest our common
capabilities in a way that guarantee the interests of the two
countries as well those of the GCC, and Arab and Islamic nations,
Prince Naif said.

He also expressed happiness to see six agreements between the two
countries signed today on the sidelines of the council's meeting.

For his part, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani thanked the Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; Crown Prince Sultan
bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and
Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, the
Minister of Interior; and the Saudi goverernment and people for warm
welcome and generous hospitality.

Holding the council's first meeting in our second country: the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is yet another evidence of the keenness of
the leaderships of the two countries to work for further supporting
the fraternal ties binding the two countries, Sheikh Tamim said.

He referred to the tough circumstances facing the world of today as
necessitating more and more coordination, cooperation and
rapprochement.

He expressed confidence that the determination of the two sides will
remove all obstacles.

Following the meeting, six agreements and memoranda of understanding
were signed. Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Interior and
Deputy Chairman of the Saudi side to the council, and Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani, Premier and Minister of
Foreign Affairs who is also deputy chairman of his country's
delegation, have signed the land and sea border protocol between the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar as well as the two
maps annexed to it which were signed in Jeddah on 2/7/1429H.

A Memorandum of Understanding for political consultation and
coordination between the ministries of foreign affairs of the two
countries was signed by Dr. Nizar Madani, Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs, for Saudi Arabia and Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud,
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Member of the Qatari
Cabinet.

Another Memorandum of Understanding on information and cultural
cooperation between the two countries was signed by Dr. Khalid bin
Mohammed Al-Anqari, Acting Minister of Culture and Information, who
represented Saudi Arabia, and Dr. Hamad Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, Minister
of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Qatar.

Another Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Commerce
and Industry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of
Business and Commerce of Qatar was signed by Abdullah bin Ahmed
Zainal Ali Riza, Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, and for the Qatari side the Minister of Business and
Commerce Sheikh Fahd bin Jassem bin Mohammed Al Thani.

An agreement to set up a joint business council between the
commercial and industrial chambers of the two countries was also
signed in addition to a Memorandum of Understanding between the two
chambers.

In conclusion, Prince Naif and Sheikh Tamim also signed the minutes
of the first meeting of the Saudi Qatari Coordination Council.

The event was attended by a number of princes and senior officials
from the two sides.
--SPA