QBA meeting with the honorable Jean Charest, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada

The Qatari Businessmen Association held a meeting with HE Jean Charest, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, who is visiting Doha to enhance cooperation opportunities with Qatar and promote investment in Canada. The meeting was also attended by H.E. Mr. Adrian Norfolk, Ambassador of Canada to Doha

From the Qatari Businessmen Association, the meeting was headed by H.E. Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, QBA Chairman, Mr. Hussein Al Fardan First Deputy, and QBA Members, Mr. Nasser Al Haider, Mr. Maqbool Khalfan and Mr. Abdullah Al Kubaisi as well as Ms. Sarah Abdullah, QBA Deputy General Manager.

At the beginning of the meeting, Sheikh Faisal bin Qasim Al-Thani welcomed the guests, stressing the importance of the visit in discussing ways of cooperation between both countries and working together to develop economic and trade relations. He also stressed the interest of Qatari businessmen in identifying the investment opportunities available in Canada, saying that the relation between both countries has long-standing roots and there are efforts to develop these relations

For his part, Mr. Jean Charest thanked QBA for this meeting. He pointed out that the visit aims to discuss ways of trade and investment cooperation between Qatar and Canada, and to get acquainted with the investment opportunities available. He also praised the economic prosperity of the State of Qatar.

Mr. Charest continued the discussion by giving an overview about his country, He said that Canada has a population of 36 million and that 60% of the GDP is mainly from import and export of trade. He also pointed out that Canada signed new trade agreement with the European Union in September 2017, in addition to its good relations with the US, Japan and China, while stressing that Canada's relations with the Middle East countries still need to be developed.

During the discussion, Mr. Hussein Al Fardan stated that the Qatari economy will be stronger after the Blockade due to the efforts exerted by the Qatari government and the role played by the private sector. He pointed out that the free zones and the procedures taken by the state to develop Its national economy with the largest port in the region and a global logistics fleet as well as Hamad International Airport as one of the world's most distinguished airports, will all contribute to attract foreign investors and develop economic relations between Qatar and other countries

from his part, HE Adrian Norfolk, Ambassador of Canada to Doha, stressed that Qatar has many opportunities for Canadian companies in key sectors such as construction and infrastructure. A number of Canadian companies and institutions are already operating in Qatar in the areas of energy, education, healthcare, infrastructure, retail and legal services. Such as the North Atlantic College of Canada, as well as the presence of more than 7,000 Canadian residents in Qatar. He also announced that he will visit Canada soon and during his visit, he will explain the efforts Qatar is currently achieving to attract foreign investors, encourage partnerships and discover the Qatari market

At the end of the meeting, HE Mr. Jean Charest invited QBA members to visit Canada, and learn about the economic environment and potential investment opportunities. Sheikh Faisal bin Qasim Al-Thani welcomed this invitation and expressed his willingness to organize this visit. Mr. Jan Charest also visited the Sheikh’s Carpet Museum and praised the exhibits and their aesthetic value