The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, said his country would inject 10 billion euros (11.64 billion dollars) into the German economy over the next five years.
Speaking at the opening of the Qatar-Germany Forum for Business and Investment in Berlin on Friday, Sheikh Tamim said that injecting these investments is an expression of Qatar's confidence in the strength, importance and investment of the German economy and being another addition to successful Qatari investments in Germany.
The Emir of Qatar noted that trade between the two countries had doubled to about 2.8 billion euros, but the volume declined slightly in 2017 due to temporary regional reasons imposed on the country and led to a reduction in imports from various countries for a short period.
Sheikh Tamim stressed that Qatar is proud of its relations and cooperation with Germany, and at the same time called on German companies to invest more in Qatar.
He stressed that the organization of this forum comes as part of Qatar's interest in consolidating and strengthening the partnership with Germany in all political, economic, cultural and other fields to "pursue our developmental path" which is to achieve the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030 including economic diversification and the transition to the knowledge economy.
He pointed out that the development projects in the country provide great opportunities for German companies to increase their contribution to the development of the Qatari economy in the sector of infrastructure and construction and other sectors, especially education and research and small and medium enterprises. He pointed out that today will see the signing of an agreement to open a German university in Doha under the supervision and management of the University of Munich In collaboration with the Qatari private sector.
| Merkel says there are good opportunities for German investments in infrastructure and industrial sector in Qatar (Reuters) |
Welcome German
German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the Qatari investment and stressed during the opening of the forum the depth of economic and trade relations between the two countries. "We are very pleased with this," she said. "You will find an efficient partner and credible general conditions."
"Economic relations are not a one-way street," she said, adding that they also find good opportunities for expanding German investment in Qatar's infrastructure and industrial sector. "I think the energy sector in particular has tremendous potential," she said.
She expressed regret for the crisis in the Gulf region, saying that the region needs a security architecture to resolve conflicts and avoid them in the future.
She stressed that Germany is not a party to this conflict, but supports all constructive efforts to resolve the crisis, especially the efforts of the State of Kuwait, considering that the current Gulf crisis highlights the importance of a Gulf Cooperation Council capable of working without restrictions. Security and stability are indispensable for economic prosperity. .
Qatar tops
"The new investments have changed the number of Middle East investments in Germany, with Qatar being at the forefront of this investment with an estimated investment of 35 billion euros and the first partner of Germany," said Issa Tibi, an Al Jazeera correspondent in Berlin.
The Emir of Qatar and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier are also scheduled to meet later in the day.
Qatar is the world's largest liquefied natural gas exporter and plans to continue expanding its production in the future. Doha and Berlin plan to sign a series of agreements today aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.
Plans for cooperation between the two countries relate to the education sector in particular. A university in the Qatari capital of Doha is to be built according to German standards.
Deutsche Bahn (Deutsche Bahn) plans to expand its activities in the host country of the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar.