German Vice Chancellor Stresses Importance of Establishing Long-Term Partnerships with Business Sector in Qatar

Doha, March 20 (QNA) - HE Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr. Robert Habeck underlined that his visit to the State of Qatar aims to examine vistas of long-lasting partnerships with Qatari firms in the areas of energy, oil, and gas. During a meeting at Qatar Chamber (QC) today with Qatari businessmen investing in the energy sector, headed by HE QC Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, HE Dr. Robert Habeck said that bilateral meetings between Qatari and German companies pave the way for learning about fields they can cooperate in and establish joint ventures. HE praised the Qatari investments in his country, inviting Qatari investors to increase their investments and take advantage of the pro-investment climate and the abundance of opportunities it offers in all sectors. "We are looking forward to a long-term and fruitful cooperation between business sectors from both friendly countries", he stressed. For his part, HE QC Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani lauded the strong and fast-growing relations between Qatar and Germany, noting that their bilateral trade volume exceeded $3 billion last year, compared with $1.7 billion in 2020, registering an increase of 76 percent, which makes Germany one of the most important trade partner to Qatar. As for mutual investments, HE said that there are about 100 German companies that are operating in Qatar in various sectors such as trading, contracting, services, shipping, medical equipment, and devices; pointing to a clear German presence in infrastructure projects in Qatar and those related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He said that Qatari investments in Germany amounted to 25 billion euros, expecting that the comping period will witness more investments in many sectors. He also noted a cooperation between both sides in several sectors such as solar energy, technology, oil and gas, services, and environment and others, especially beyond the 2022 FIFA World Cup. HE underlined that Qatar Chamber supports and encourages enhancing cooperation and partnership between Qatari and German firms, and highly welcomes more German companies in the Qatari market to benefit from the German advanced technology. He also called upon Qatari investors to explore business opportunities available in German, boost cooperation with German firms and forge genuine partnerships whether in Qatar and Germany, especially that Germany is an attractive destination for investment and rife with a myriad of opportunities in most sectors. Bilateral meetings between Qatari businessmen and members of the German delegation were held to review the possibility of establishing joint alliances and partnerships between them, whether in Qatar or in Germany. (QNA)