Qatari investments important for British economy: Dowden

 

Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Oliver Dowden has described Qatari investments in his country as a successful model, considering them important for the British economy.

This was part of his speech during a meeting with members of the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA), headed by its chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, in which he indicated that the volume of trade between Qatar and the UK increased by 100 percent last year.

technologies in a way that serves the common interests of both sides.

On the UK economy, Dowden said, “I hear a lot of positive feedback about the outlook for the UK economy, and since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister last year, there has been a growing sense of economic stability in the UK, because investors are looking for a stable investment environment and the focus is now on seizing these investment opportunities.”

He also noted that the Gulf countries are important trading partners for Britain, as these countries are considered the fourth largest trading partner after the European Union, the United States, and China.

For his part, the QBA chairman expressed his confidence in a better future for bilateral relations between the two countries, confirming that QBA is looking forward to cooperating with the UK to develop more investments.

He also praised the bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the UK, which extend to ancient historical roots. He also spoke about the economic relations between the two countries and the necessity of their continuity and constant work to develop them.

The UK is a major trading partner for Qatar as the Planning and Statistics Authority’s figures indicate that 2022 was exceptional in trade relations between the two countries, because the volume of trade exchange reached QR36 billion, and Qatar gained the lion’s share by exporting its value QR31 billion, about three times higher than in 2021 when it reached QR11 billion.

In addition to the presence of major British companies in Qatar, such as Shell, which has been one of the major investors in the region for several years, there are several British companies active in infrastructure projects in Qatar, especially architecture, design, project management, and engineering consulting companies.

The meeting was also attended by QBA board members Sheikh Hamad bin Faisal Al Thani, Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser Al Thani and and Sherida Al Kaabi.

QBA members Salah Al Jaidah, Khaled Al Mannai, Nabil Abu Issa, Yousef Al Mahmoud, Muhammad Althaf as well as Sheikh Mansour bin Jassim bin Thani Al Thani also attended the meeting.

QBA Deputy General Manager Sarah Abdullah was also present on the occasion.

Tribune News Network