Qatar, Canada sign defence cooperation agreement

Qatar yesterday announced the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement with Canada, to strengthen joint defence relations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Dr Khalid Bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, signed the Canada-Qatar Defence Cooperation Arrangement Agreement during a virtual ceremony with Harjit S. Sajjan, Canada’s minister of national defence, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

The agreement aims to “strengthen the joint defence relationship between the two countries, and provides a comprehensive framework for coordinating various defence cooperation activities, peace operations, humanitarian operations, and training of human cadres,” QNA said.

The agreement also reflects “Qatar and Canada’s commitment to promoting peace and stability in the Middle East by combating terrorism and violent extremism, and maintaining regional prosperity,” it added.

The two countries have friendly bilateral relations and strong trade and investment ties. In 2019, the volume of bilateral trade exchanges between them amounted to about $311 million.

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