Cyprus and Qatar have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in maritime affairs.

The memorandum covers areas such as education, infrastructure, environmental protection, as well as the green transition of shipping.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday by Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hadjimanolis and Qatar’s Minister of Transport, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Thani, on the sidelines of the Maritime Cyprus 2025 Conference in Limassol.

The signing followed a meeting between the two delegations, building on discussions held during Hadjimanolis’ official visit to Doha a few months earlier.

Hadjimanolis said she was pleased to welcome the Qatari minister to Cyprus, describing his presence as “a continuation of my visit to Doha, where we discussed the signing of this memorandum”.

She stated that the agreement covers a wide range of issues, including cooperation in international organisations, competitiveness in shipping, and the exchange of know-how in education, registry matters, and decarbonisation.

“Cyprus is the European country located most easterly in the heart of the Arabian Gulf, and we attach great importance to this cooperation,” she said, adding that the MoU also includes areas related to port infrastructure, logistics and environmental protection.

According to the Deputy Minister, “the most important thing is that we do not want it to be just a memorandum that was signed, but we want it to have substance and deliverables”.

She added that both sides agreed to pursue tangible progress “before the official visit of the President of the Republic to Qatar, so that shipping will be among the topics discussed.”

The new partnership aims to enhance collaboration between Cyprus and Qatar in maritime safety, digitalisation and seafarers’ welfare, reflecting their shared ambition to become regional hubs for shipping and related services.

Hadjimanolis thanked Sheikh Mohammed for his participation in the conference, and both agreed to move forward with joint actions to implement the MoU in the coming months.