Qatar successful in weathering crisis, says Sheikh Ahmed

HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani has stressed that the current crisis represented a new phase in “consolidating Qatar's position on the world economic map and achieving its independence and economic security.”He was speaking at the opening session of a "B2B meeting" on Thursday in the Turkish city of Izmir. It was jointly organised by Qatar's Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the Turkish Ministry of Economy. The high-profile meeting was attended by Nihat Zeybekci, Turksih Minister of Economy, besides senior officials and businessmen from both countries. Sheikh Ahmed said the Qatari economy has proved its “strength and steadfastness” in the face of global economic challenges that have impacted even major economies.He pointed out that “Qatar, under the directives of its wise leadership, was able to break the siege within hours” through “activation of its strategies and proactive plans” that have been in place for many years and aimed at meeting any local or global crises. In this context, Sheikh Ahmed highlighted the “combined efforts being exerted” by the country’s public and private sectors through the promotion of local products and opening new channels with Qatar's various trading partners around the world.“The State of Qatar has succeeded in maintaining the continuous flow of products to the local market and ensured there is no shortage of any consumer goods or other products,” he said. Qatar’s huge natural resources and their monetisation through gas exports have ensured revenues and played an important role in supporting the country's economy and helped it “withstand the arbitrary measures” taken by the siege countries, which constituted a violation of all international laws, conventions and customs.He also highlighted “Qatar's keenness to continue business transactions with its major trading partners and the rest of the world,” and stressed that the Qatari economy “would not be affected by the illegal measures” taken by only four countries on the commercial level.“Qatar has been able to overcome various challenges in terms of exports and the operations at its ports and airport and maintained the development and growth of all economic sectors," the minister said."Qatar is one of the largest producers and exporters of natural gas in the world and has the world's largest fleet of LNG carriers."HE Sheikh Ahmed and Zeybekci lead the Qatari and Turkish bilateral talks on the sidelines of the event.The minister highlighted the important role Hamad Port played in “bolstering imports and securing alternative commodities” after the arbitrary closure of the countrytarget="_blank"'>