Turkish Ambassador to Qatar H E Mustafa Goksu, Italian Ambassador to Qatar H E Alessandro Prunas, Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy in Doha Dr. Julia Harrer, General Manager of IFP Qatar Haidar Mshaimesh and other officials during a press conference held at the InterContinental The City Hotel yesterday.
Doha: Qatar’s trade exchange with Turkey, Italy, and Germany which showed impressive growth despite the pandemic is expected to further rise as envoys from the three countries see greater cooperation with Qatar as economies fully recover from the impact of COVID-19.
“Turkish companies have executed over $20bn of infrastructure projects in Qatar, and right now we are in the middle of completing these investments. Over 600 companies are working in Qatar, mostly in the construction and hospitality sectors. We did our best in supporting Qatar for the World Cup, and we will continue to support the country after the World Cup,” Turkish Ambassador to Qatar H E Mustafa Goksu said while speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of a press conference held to announce the opening of Project Qatar and Hospitality Qatar yesterday.
It may be noted that bilateral trade between Qatar and Turkey stood at QR6.8bn in 2021.
“Turkish exports to Qatar were valued at $1bn. Hopefully, after full recovery from the pandemic, trade exchange will be more. We are now getting back to normality, and trade volume will be more than before,” the Turkish Ambassador said. He added that over 16 Turkish companies, including one major firm which exports to over 130 countries globally, will take part at the Project Qatar which will open on Monday.
Addressing the media earlier, Italian Ambassador to Qatar H E Alessandro Prunas said total trade between Qatar and Italy reached €3.27bn last year. “This showed an increase of 76 percent, making Italy Qatar’s sixth largest trade supplier. Moreover, latest data showed that in the first three months of 2022, Italy has further improved its trading volume becoming Qatar’s fourth largest trade supplier,” the Italian Ambassador added.
Trade Commissioner at the Italian Trade Agency Augusta Smargiassi said Qatari imports from Italy of goods related to furniture and construction sectors during the first three months of 2022 increased by 22 percent, compared to the same period last year, while Italian food exports to Qatar also grew by 54.4 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year.
Italy will feature two pavilions in each exhibition, constituting over 30 companies.
During the event, the Italian Envoy also highlighted the contributions of Italian companies to the World Cup projects, particularly in the areas of transport and infrastructure.
Also speaking during the event, Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy in Doha Dr. Julia Harrer said: “The energy partnership between Germany and Qatar that was recently announced shall pave the way for considerable flows of natural gas to Germany in the future, and also lead to German contributions into the development of renewable energies and in optimising energy efficiency here in Qatar. Qatar has invested €25bn in Germany, and bilateral trade stood at €1.3bn in 2021. And there’s a lot of potential for future cooperation”.
Harrer added: “The main pillar of German-Qatari economic cooperation is construction sector. Qatar is finalising the recuperations for FIFA World Cup 2022, which includes furtherance of the infrastructure and creating new opportunities and new projects for the years to come”.
The German pavilion at the event is supported by The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, which identifies the importance that Germany places on the Qatari construction sector and the opportunities that this sector offers German businesses even after the end of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Project Qatar, now in its 18th year, is the country's first and oldest business fair for construction and related industries. The exhibition offers access to the growing Qatari construction market, as well as new business prospects with companies of all sizes, making Project Qatar an unparalleled platform for growth and development.
Similarly, Hospitality Qatar, now in its seventh edition this year, is the only trade fair in Qatar for the hospitality and HORECA sectors and is considered the most prominent and oldest exhibition directed towards the local, regional, and international companies working in the tourism and hospitality sector.
The event represents a unique opportunity to enhance the industry’s presence, while attracting more scope for sponsorship and advertising. The Hospitality Qatar exhibition contributes to the tourism and travel sector’s growth and is an ideal platform for all participants, including producers, suppliers, and experts, to move forward into a new era in the sector's development.
Both exhibitions will run concurrently from June 6-9 at the Doha Exhibition Convention Center.
