Trade between Singapore and Qatar is fast growing. Registering an annual growth rate of 37 percent, the Singapore-Qatar bilateral trade increased from QR11.2bn in 2006 to QR18bn in 2007, said Umej Singh Bhatia, Charge d’ affaires and Head of Mission of Singapore Embassy here yesterday. “Interaction between the people of both countries has also witnessed an upward trend over the last couple of years. The number of tourists travelling from Qatar to Singapore increased by 23 per cent in 2007, compared to the previous year”, Bhatia said on the occasion of Singapore’s National Day Celebrations held at Movenpick Tower & Suites here yesterday. Qatar and Singapore share a warm and substantive relationship, and bilateral cooperation has been increasing rapidly in recent years. Singapore and Qatar will mark a quarter century of diplomatic relations in 2009, he said. Since the establishment of the Singapore Embassy in Doha in December 2006, and the Qatar Embassy in Singapore in October 2007, the business-to-business relations between the two countries have also been growing rapidly, Bhatia added. “The strong relationship between Singapore and Qatar is based on a natural partnership. As small nations, we both share a common outlook and face many similar challenges. Our ties have widened and deepened significantly over the last few years. In fact, Singapore and Qatar will mark a quarter century of diplomatic relations in 2009. We look forward to marking that event in a special way with the first ever state visit by our president”, he said. Addressing the gathering Bhatia said: “You are helping to grow our international presence while contributing to the strong partnership between Singapore and Qatar, and the wider Middle East region. The number of Singapore residents in Qatar has been increasing steadily. To date, we estimate that there are around 500 Singaporeans residing in Qatar, comprising consultants, lawyers, finance professionals, business executives and their families”, he said. This was the Embassy’s first National Day Reception for the Singaporeans. Previous celebrations were hosted and organised by Red Dotters@Qatar (RDQ), the association of Singaporean citizens and Singaporean Permanent Residents in Qatar. The Pen

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