Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry H E Sultan bin Rashid Al Khater (centre) chairing the Economic and Commercial Cooperation Session during the fourth annual Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue, in Washington DC.
Doha: Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry H E Sultan bin Rashid Al Khater has chaired the Economic and Commercial Cooperation Session organised within the fourth annual Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue, which took place in Washington DC.
On the Qatari side, representatives of a number of government agencies and relevant bodies participated in the session including the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), Ministry of Finance, Investment Promotion Agency, Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar Central Bank, Qatar Development Bank, and US-Qatar Business Council.
During his speech at the session, Al Khater stressed that the meeting represented the longstanding ties between the two nations and reaffirmed their mutual commitment to strengthening the economic and commercial cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United States of America.
Qatar has taken unprecedented measures to limit the virus’ impact, both socially and economically, including economic stimulus packages, Al Khater stated.
Qatar’s national vision, QNV 2030, emphasises the importance of women’s participation in strengthening and building the future of Qatar, he added, noting in this regard that Qatar today has the highest rate of female economic participation in the Arab world and that many Qatari women occupied leading and executive roles in both the public and private sectors.
Qatar is pursuing economic diversification to gradually reduce its dependence on hydrocarbon industries, and move toward a knowledge-based economy, he said.
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry H E Sultan bin Rashid Al Khater, and other officials during the Economic and Commercial Cooperation Session at the fourth annual Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue, in Washington DC.
Qatar will continue to expand and modernise its world-class transportation and communications infrastructures to bolster trade and logistics, added Al Khater.
He also indicated that Qatar hosted about 120 wholly-owned US companies, and 640 US-Qatar joint ventures.
He also reiterated that Qatar is on its way to becoming a regional hub for technological innovation. The State has created special economic zones to attract foreign capital, particularly in the fields of logistics, FinTech, and advanced manufacturing, he pointed out, further stating that these distinct commercial areas provided significant fiscal and regulatory incentives, in addition to infrastructure support.
At the conclusion of his speech, the Undersecretary stressed Qatar’s commitment to fairness, transparency, high standards, and the rule of law in international trade and investment, which in turn, would instill a more open global trading system.
The Economic and Commercial Cooperation Session featured several discussion panels on Qatari investments in the United States; investment opportunities in Qatar and the US; ways to deepen capital markets and accelerate Fintech; and women’s economic participation.
