Ian Halliday, Australia’s senior trade commissioner and general manager for Middle East and Africa, has concluded a three-day visit to Qatar, which affirmed the strength of the Qatar-Australia economic relationship.

Australian ambassador to Qatar Jonathan Muir said in a statement on Thursday: “The more Australian companies come to Qatar, the more I find it a compelling proposition investing and doing business here over the long term.”

“It is a little known fact that Qatar has emerged as Australia’s second largest two-way trade partner in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, and our third largest export destination. Australia has also become Qatar’s twelfth largest trading partner,” ambassador Muir said.

Halliday remarked, “After my visit, I am very optimistic for the future of the economic relationship. There are plenty of opportunities for growth and diversification of trade and investment in both directions – in food and agribusiness, health and infrastructure, to name a few.”

“Australia is also a great place to consider investing, with reliable policy frameworks, common law and strong institutions. Our economy has experienced nearly 30 years of uninterrupted growth and is projected to grow 2.7% annually over the medium term,” said Halliday.

During his visit, Halliday met senior business leaders across state-owned and private sectors, including the Qatar Businessmen’s Association, Qatar Chamber of Commerce, Qatar Free Zones Authority, Qatar Financial Centre, and Qatar Investment Authority.