Leading business councils have hailed Qatar’s “progressive positive” strategies to brave the Gulf crisis and they expect more business opportunities in view of the strong macroeconomic fundamentals of the Gulf country.
In this regard, ten business associations operating in Doha, in partnership with the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), will bring together business leaders and decision makers involved in Qatar’s main projects and sectors of economic interest at the 13th Back to Business networking event tomorrow.
“In this time of crisis, it is especially important that we, as business councils, work together and underline the opportunities that may be there. We still feel that there is lot of opportunities,” Kathrin Lemke of the German Business Council said.
The meeting comes at a time when Qatar is under an economic blockade instigated by some of its neighbours likes Saudi Arabia and the UAE. However, unperturbed by the crisis, Doha has already reworked its international strategies to find new partners and alliances, thus ensuring sustained growth.
Recently at the International Monetary Fund-World Bank meeting, Qatar’s top decision makers said the Gulf crisis has not adversely dented Qatar’s economic fundamentals and the outlook remains positive.
Palma Libotte of the Italian Chamber of Commerce was of the view that the crisis has helped Qatar to devise new strategies and find new solutions especially in regard to food and agriculture sector.
“It can be called a progressive positive change and we are happy to be here with Qatar to see those changes and move forward,” she said, adding “we are going to see natural selection of those companies that will be really needed in the market.”
“The solidarity expressed by the expat community towards Qatar, in recent occasions, attests the faith in the country’s vision and leadership as well as a positive will of contribution to future achievements,” she said, adding Back to Business Qatar represents a vital opportunity for local and international investors to come together in an informal business networking platform.
Leaders from various industries meet every year at this event to create synergies and share valuable information on the market, according to Libotte.
“In times of crisis, we are looking for opportunities rather than challenges and together we can always achieve more. Thus, we are deliberately choosing to jointly host this important event with our international colleagues and bringing together our business communities,” she said.
El Sadiq Hamour, QFC director of business development, said despite the current regional uncertainty, business continues as usual for the QFC and Qatar remains open for business.
“We remain focused and committed to the growth of our firms. We are an important component of the domestic economy, offering a transparent and efficient platform to firms wishing to do business in and from Qatar,” he said.
More than 300 people are expected to attend the event for which Qatar Airways is the airline partner.

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