Antigua and Qatar sign MOU

The MOU is a direct byproduct of an initiative by Spencer during his state visit to Qatar in 2008.

ST JOHN'S, Antigua, March 10, 2010 – Antigua and Barbuda and Qatar have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will lead to broader bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

"Through the mechanism of this MOU, Antigua and Barbuda and the State of Qatar will engage at all levels in an variety of areas, including education, information and communication technology (ICT), infrastructure development, and research training," Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer said.

The respective United Nations (UN) representatives of the two countries signed the agreement. 

The MOU is a direct byproduct of an initiative by Spencer during his state visit to Qatar in 2008, at the invitation of the Emir of Qatar. The Emir, who is the ruler of Qatar, subsequently visited Antigua with his family earlier this year.

"While this MOU took some time to develop due to the internal approval processes in my country, I am pleased that, in the end, we are able to sign this document and I believe that it puts in place the groundwork for Qatar and Antigua and Barbuda to pursue the common areas of interest listed in the MOU," said Ambassador Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Qatar's representative at the UN.

His Antiguan counterpart, Dr John Ashe, said what the two countries now have is a solid, bilateral basis to begin expanding on the areas of interest they have jointly identified.