South Africa and the State of Qatar have agreed to intensify cooperation in infrastructure development and other economic sectors at a meeting between President Jacob Zuma and His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani held in Doha, Qatar, today the 24th of January 2012.

President Zuma stopped over in Qatar while en-route to the World Economic Forum in Davos. South Africa and Qatar maintain a strong bilateral relationship and the President visited Qatar to explore ways in which these could be enhanced further.

The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, including concrete projects that the two countries can engage in, as part of implementing South Africa’s New Growth Path.

The President seeks cooperation with Qatar in areas such as water, energy, construction, agriculture and general infrastructure development. The two leaders agreed that a Ministerial delegation from South Africa will visit Qatar early in February to follow up on issues raised and ensure that no time is wasted in implementing the decisions of the two heads of state.

The two countries also have strong cooperation in petrochemicals. One of South Africa’s largest investments in the Middle East, Sasol’s joint venture gas-to-liquid facility, is located in Qatar. Qatar is currently the 7th largest supplier of crude oil to South Africa, but bilateral trade and investment have not reached their full potential.

The two leaders also discussed the situation in Libya at length and agreed that the African Union and the Arab League should work together to assist the National Transitional Council and the people of Libya to return the country to normalcy.

At a political level, the two countries maintain a close relationship. There is frequent high-level engagement within the framework of the Bilateral Consultation, the third round of which was held in Pretoria in October 2011.