The Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) held a virtual meeting with the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).
From the Qatari side, the meeting was headed by Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatari Businessmen Association, in the presence of H E Mohamed Jeham Al-Kuwari, the Qatari ambassador to Germany.
From the German side, the meeting was chaired by Dr. Volker Trier, CEO of Foreign Trade of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, Philip Andre, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Region, in the presence of Hans-Udo Muzel, the German Ambassador to the State of Qatar and also Kathrin Lemke, head of the German Industry and Commerce office in Qatar.
The meeting came as part of QBA’s efforts to communicate with international economic institutions around the world, in order to discuss potential cooperation opportunities during the current global crisis, benefit from the experiences of other countries and discuss proposed solutions to support companies and private sector institutions.
Addressing the event Sheikh Faisal stressed the importance of cooperation between various economic entities and businessmen in light of the current crisis that the global economy is going through. In order to overcome Its consequences and support the efforts of governments to restore the local and global economy, the international cooperation between various stakeholders are key, he said.
The fact that the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce’s (DIHK) decision to be part of this meeting reflects an affirmation of the strength of the Qatari-German relations, the QBA Chairman said. Sheikh Faisal said: “In light of this global crisis, such meetings would help in transferring experiences and expertise that may help all parties to overcome challenges better and faster, and we value the German experience and the measures taken by the country to contain the economic crisis resulting from the spread of the epidemic.”
Also participated in the meeting from QBA were , Sheikh Dr Khaled bin Thani Al Thani, the second Deputy to the chairman, from QBA Board, Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser Al Thani and Saud bin Omar Al Mana.
QBA Members Omar Al Fardan, Khalid Al-Mannai, Salah Al-Jaidah, Sheikh Faisal bin Fahd Al-Thani, Maqbool Habib Khalfan, Abdullah AlKubaisi, Ihsan Al-Khiyami, Mr. Muhammad Althaf, Ramiz AlKhayyat, as well as Sarah Abdullah, QBA Deputy General Manager Dr. Volker Trier, DIHK CEO of Foreign Trade, stressed the importance of the collaboration between international economic institutions at a time when the global economy is facing a serious crisis.
He took the opportunity to elaborate on the economic stimulus package provided by the German government to support private sector companies and institutions and a fund to support the economic stability of large and medium companies in Germany.
Dr Trier said that German companies are keen to be a strategic partner in the Qatari economic diversification program that aims to move to a knowledge-based economy by exchanging experiences in various sectors.
“We are equally looking forward to welcoming Qatari investments in Germany. In the coming months, we will work closely to implement these goals as part of our long partnership with the Qatari Businessmen Association” H E Mohamed Jeham Al Kuwari, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Germany, expressed his happiness at QBA initiative to hold the meeting.
Similar meeting would create better communication channels between the two countries, he said. Al Kuwari pointed out that the Qatari-German economic relations are solid and this was demonstrated during the Qatar Germany Business and Investment Forum in 2018 and the establishment of the Qatari German Joint Task Force for trade and investment on the sideline of the forum. Germany is also one of the most important trading partners for Qatar, and Qatar is considered as the largest Arab investor in Germany.
Hans-Udo Muzel, the German Ambassador to Qatar also highlighted the importance of continuous communication in light of the crisis, stressing the importance of such meetings in contributing to the economic recovery.
Hans emphasised the strength of the relations of the two countries at the leadership level, pointing out their support for economic and investment relations and the expansion of trade cooperation.
Sheikh Dr Khalid Bin Thani Al Thani, QBA Second Deputy spoke about the financial and economic incentives that were announced by the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The government announced QR75bn to support the private sector. It also allocated guarantees to local banks within the national guarantee program launched by Qatar Development Bank for QR3bn.
The program comes to ensure 100 percent financing by the government of the State of Qatar, with the aim of helping private companies affected by the difficulties of making short-term payments, including salaries and rental dues, in addition to the Public-Private Partnership Law, which is an important step to support the private sector and activate its role in building a strong national economy and contribute to the path of Qatar towards achieving its vision.
Sheikh Nawaf, QBA Board member and member of the JTF, noted that the current Qatari German Joint task force is just a foundation and membership will be opened for others to join the force in a later stage, and that the team will be meeting soon, after which a series of specialized sectoral meetings will be held between companies and private sector institutions in both countries, to discuss cooperation opportunities in detail and study more the experience of the different companies in their field of specialization, these sectoral meetings would include sectors such as banks, food industries and pharmaceutical industries, under the supervision of the Joint Task Force.
Philip Andre, DIHK Director of the Middle East and North Africa Region, pointed out the importance of inviting more members to the Qatari German Joint Task Force and called for specialized sectoral meetings between the two sides.
