The visit of the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, to Doha yesterday will contribute to enhancing co-operation in multiple fields, discovering more trade and investment opportunities between the two countries, supporting and further developing bilateral relations, and opening new areas in a way that serves the common interests and aspirations of the two countries and their friendly peoples.
Qatar and the Czech Republic share growing relations in various fields and are experiencing significant development, especially at the economic level, and in the fields of health, energy, and investment.
Relations between the two countries date back to 1990 when diplomatic relations were established at the level of ambassadors (non-resident representation), and Qatar’s ambassador to the Czech Republic presented his credentials in 2007.
The visit of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, to the Czech Republic in 2022 contributed to consolidating relations between the two countries and increasing co-operation in many fields. His Highness the Amir and Milos Zeman, the president of the Czech Republic at the time, held an official discussion session in Prague, focusing on developing bilateral relations in various fields.
The Amir pointed to the strength of Qatari-Czech relations and their continuous development, along with the co-operation that brings the two countries together in various sectors. The session discussed ways to enhance co-operation in trade, industry, energy, and investment, besides exchanging views on several regional and international issues of common interest.
The relations between Qatar and the Czech Republic are regulated by a set of agreements in many areas of trade, economy, and the air transport sector. The political views of the two countries on many regional and international issues are similar. To strengthen bilateral relations, the Qatar-Czech Parliamentary Friendship Committee was established in the Czech Parliament in April 2019.
Mutual visits and joint meetings between investors and businessmen in the two countries contributed to providing an important platform for discussing ways to establish alliances and joint projects, in addition to gaining a broader overview of viable investment opportunities in several promising sectors in the two countries. They also contributed to raising the rate of trade exchange between the two countries.
Trade and investment relations between Qatar and the Czech Republic are characterised by diversity. Many joint Qatari-Czech companies operate in the Qatari market in various sectors, especially in the fields of services, hospitality, sports consulting, and food trade.
During a visit to Doha in October 2019, meeting with Qatari businessmen, former Czech foreign minister Tomas Petricek confirmed that his country was seriously seeking to strengthen trade and economic relations with Qatar as part of its efforts to attract foreign investments in various sectors. He reviewed the investment climate in his country, emphasising its strategic location in the European continent as a large market linking the countries of the European Union. He pointed out that the Czech Republic, characterised by the quality of products with global advantages, seeks to present innovative projects in many fields.
In June 2022, the Qatari-Czech business meeting, held at the Qatar Chamber, discussed ways to enhance commercial and industrial co-operation relations, investment opportunities available in the two countries, co-operation between business owners in the two countries, and the possibility of establishing alliances that enhance trade and investment exchange.
This resulted from the success achieved by Qatar in providing an attractive investment environment through facilities and incentives that allow a foreign investor to invest up to 100% in various sectors and economic activities, as well as the advanced infrastructure, laws, and economic legislation that have contributed to Qatar reaching a world-renowned position as a leading destination for investment and business.
Building materials, office furniture, equipment, and electrical appliances are at the forefront of Qatar’s imports from the Czech Republic, while ethylene polymers represent the most important Qatari exports to the Czech Republic. There are also many areas that contribute to deepening bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in the health, real estate, tourism, and agricultural sectors. The Czech Republic has a long history in these fields, and its economy is one of the most promising in Europe, bringing with it great future potential for investment.
The Czech Republic is one of the fastest-growing countries in Europe in recent years in the fields of infrastructure and medical tourism. It is a landlocked country located in central Europe with an estimated area of 78,867sq km and a population of 10.7mn people. Thanks to its special strategic geographical location and reasonable costs, with advanced infrastructure and a skilled workforce, the Czech Republic has become an ideal and attractive base for business and investment projects.
The Czech Republic is characterized by a broadly open economy, where three-quarters of its products are exported, and foreign investments are attracted. Czech companies are known for being reliable partners and suppliers of high-quality products, technologies, and services. The Czech export sectors comprise a wide range of products in various branches and fields of industry, including automotive.
The Czech Republic embraces major global brands in the automotive sector, and there is an aircraft industry, which includes the production of components for large transport aircraft, military aircraft, helicopters, small-sized aircraft for domestic and regional transport, training aircraft, light sport, agricultural, and sailplanes. It is estimated that a quarter of the world’s lightweight aircraft sold are produced in the Czech Republic.
Engineering forms the backbone of the Czech economy, with its industrial base consisting of more than 1,100 companies, particularly involved in the field of energy engineering, transportation, machinery production, tool shaping, metallurgy, production of metal structures and components, air conditioners, construction machinery, agriculture, food processing, green technologies, in addition to medical equipment, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, electronics, and generators.
