The expected state visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Portugal is seen to further advance bilateral and economic relations between Qatar and Portugal, ambassador Antonio Tanger said.
"The presence of His Highness the Amir in Portugal would give a big visibility to Qatar’s relationship with Portugal and vice-versa," the ambassador told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the opening of Portuguese Week at the Mall of Qatar yesterday.
“It will be very important for Qataris to know about the opportunities Portugal has to offer, and for the Portuguese to have a better and stronger relationship with Qatar,” Tanger emphasised.
According to the ambassador, the embassy will continue with the previous initiatives it had implemented in terms of increasing imports and exports between Qatar and Portugal.
Portugal recorded a 30% growth in its exports to Qatar in the first two months of 2017. In 2016, Portuguese exports to Qatar witnessed a 61% increase, while Qatar-Portugal bilateral trade reached €42mn during the same period, which is 15% higher compared to 2015.
Aside from increasing bilateral trade volume, Tanger said the embassy is working to attract more Qatari investments into Portugal.
“On the other hand, we would like to have a bigger participation of private and public funds from Qatar. Portugal is a good destination and a very safe country for Qatari investments, and I think that now is quite a good time to do it,” Tanger said.
The ambassador noted that Qatar has both direct and indirect investments in Portugal’s tourism, hospitality, finance, and automotive sectors. He stressed that Portugal is also seeking Qatari investments in the construction, real estate, renewable energy, and health sectors, as well as in environmental industries.
Tanger said there are also several Portuguese companies operating in Qatar in the fields of clothing, construction, services, and architecture. “We hope to increase the scope of the companies, mainly from the services sector,” he added.