Minister of Economy and Commerce Holds Meetings in Davos

Davos, January 18 (QNA) - HE Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed Al-Thani on Wednesday met Saudi Minister of Commerce and Investment Majid Al Qasabi; Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen; and a number of chairmen and CEOs of major firms and international corporations working in investment and banking, on the sidelines of the second day of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The meetings reviewed bilateral relations in the economic, commercial and investment fields and means of boosting and developing them, in addition to exchanging views on issues on the agenda of the forum. The historic fraternal ties between Qatar and Saudi Arabia are known to be strong, deep and constantly developing thanks to the wise vision of the leadership in both countries. Trade volume between the two countries amounted to QR 7.8 billion in 2015, establishing Saudi Arabia as the 13th trade partner on 2 percent of the total volume of trade exchange. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are linked through a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding, notably a memorandum of understanding in cooperation in the industrial field between the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia as well as an air transport agreement and cooperation agreement on transport, roads and infrastructure. On the other hand, the trade volume between Qatar and Netherlands amounted to QR 3.6 billion in 2015, with Netherlands being the 21st trade partner on 0.9 percent of trade volume with the rest of the world. Qatar and Netherlands have several agreements and memoranda of understanding in place, including a memorandum of understanding on economic, commercial and technical ties besides a set of agreements in the fields of museums, energy, avoidance of double taxation and monitoring tax evasion. In addition, nearly 24 Dutch companies with 100 percent capital operate in Qatar in the fields of logistic services, security systems and information technology, while 102 Qatari-Dutch firms operate in the fields of commerce, construction, infrastructure and services, and information technology. (QNA)