UK Minister of State for Trade Policy H E Greg Hands along with QBA officials during the meeting.
Doha, Qatar: During a business lunch organised by the Qatari Businessmen Association, QBA members met with the UK Minister of State for Trade policy H E Greg Hands, who is currently visiting the country, and discussed ways to support trade exchange and boost trade between the two countries.
The meeting also covered the latest developments in the free trade agreement negotiations between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the United Kingdom, which the two sides highlighted its importance in contributing significantly to economic growth and enhance trade in goods and services, advanced technologies and other sectors, in a way that serves the common interests of both sides.
From QBA, the meeting was attended by Sherida Al Kaabi, Saud Al Mana, Omar Al Fardan, Nabil Abu Issa, Maqbool Habib Khalfan, Dr. Muhammad Altaf, Hakan Ozdemir, along with the QBA deputy GM Sarah Abdallah.
In the beginning of the meeting, the UK Minister Greg Hands said that the United Kingdom and the State of Qatar have long-term trade relations, adding that increased cooperation between his country and Qatari companies has opened great opportunities, as UK exports to Qatar increased by 100 percent last year.
He also pointed out that during his meetings, Qatari officials demonstrated the commitment of both countries to delivering greater prosperity through global free trade, by working closely with key organisations such as the Qatari Businessmen Association. Hands also expressed his optimism about a better future for his country after leaving the European Union, saying: “We in the United Kingdom are working on consolidating our relations with important countries such as the State of Qatar and all Gulf and African countries and other economic partners to enhance the prospects for economic and trade cooperation for the country, while I want to bring a clear message to our partners in Qatar that the United Kingdom looks forward to cooperating with the Qatari Businessmen Association to attract more investments, and we now have a great opportunity to strengthen our position in an increasingly interconnected world.”
For his part, Saud Al Mana, spoke about the bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the United Kingdom, which extend to ancient historical roots. He also pointed out the economic relations between the two countries and the importance of constantly developing them.
During the discussion, Omar Al Fardan also stressed the interest of Qatari businessmen in the British market, where there are already many Qatari investments, whether in the public or private sector, as the British market is the preferred investment destination for the Qatari businessman, adding that it is a market full of opportunities.
It is worth noting that the United Kingdom is a major trading partner for the State of Qatar, as the Planning and Statistics Authority’s figures indicate that the year 2022 was exceptional in trade relations between the two countries, where the volume of trade exchange reached QR36bn, in which Qatar gained the lion’s share by exporting a value of QR31bn, which is about three times higher than in 2021, when it reached QR11bn riyals, in addition to the presence of major British companies in Qatar, such as Shell, which has been one of the major investors in the region for several years, in addition to many British companies active in infrastructure projects in Qatar, especially architecture, design, project management and engineering consulting companies.
