Ministry of Economy and Commerce H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani (right) with the visiting Representative of the First District of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, at his office in Doha, yesterday.
DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani met yesterday with Mark Sanford, the visiting Representative of the First District of South Carolina, the United States, and discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations between Qatar and the US, especially South Carolina State, in the economic and trade fields, as well as highlighting the opportunities to increase trade exchange in light of the potential and capabilities of the two economies.
The two sides also reviewed the results of the economic tour of the US, launched in its first edition in April, which included the holding of an economic forum, exhibition and bilateral meetings between businessmen from both countries in Charleston, South Carolina.
They also discussed mechanisms to support joint investments and stimulate the private sector to establish innovative investment projects in key sectors that will serve the economic trends of Qatar and the US.
The two sides stressed the importance of exchanging visits between businessmen from Qatar and the US and encouraging cooperation between government departments and the private sector to serve the common interests of the two countries, reports QNA.
The meeting also discussed the developments of the Qatari economy, the investment opportunities offered by the State in all fields as well as initiatives launched to support the private sector and its role in enhancing its contribution to the overall economic development and attracting foreign direct investment.
The latest measures taken by Qatar to encourage and attract investments, including the draft non-Qatari capital regulation in economic activity, opened the door to foreign investors to 100 percent ownership in all sectors, as well as supporting investors’ entry into the Qatari market were also discussed.
Both Qatar and the US have close economic and trade relations, which reflected positively on the volume of trade exchange between the two countries, which amounted to QR21bn in 2017. The United States is the leading trading partner in terms of imports to Qatar by 16.3 percent Of Qatar’s total imports.
The number of US companies operating in Qatar is more than 650, of which 117 are wholly owned by the US, 20 are oil and gas companies and more than 30 are licensed under the Qatar Financial Center.
