The Qatari German joint task force (JTF) for trade and investment will meet soon to discuss co-operation opportunities in detail, especially in the areas of banks, food and pharmaceutical industries.
This was disclosed by Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser al-Thani, a member of the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) and also a member of the JTF, at a virtual meeting with the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).
HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, QBA chairman, chaired the meeting, which was attended by Mohamed Jeham al-Kuwari, Qatar's ambassador to Germany; Dr Volker Treier, chief executive of Foreign Trade at the DIHK; Philip Andre, director of the Middle East and North Africa Region; Hans-Udo Muzel, the German envoy to Qatar and Kathrin Lemke, head of the German Industry and Commerce office in Qatar.
"In light of this global crisis, such meetings will help in transferring experiences and expertise that may help all parties to overcome challenges better and faster, and we value the German experience and the measures taken by the country to contain the economic crisis resulting from the spread of the epidemic," Sheikh Faisal said.
He called on the German side to take advantage of the recently enacted public private partnership (PPP) law, among many other incentives Qatar provides to foreign investors in the free zones, the Hamad Port and the Hamad International Airport.
Highlighting that the current JTF is just a foundation and membership would be opened for others to join the force at a later stage, Sheikh Nawaf said "the team will be meeting soon", after which a series of specialised sectoral meetings would be held among companies and the private sector institutions in both countries.
Salah al-Jaidah, another QBA member, who is also part of JTF, pointed out the need for searching for joint investment projects to take advantage of the available opportunities and the potential in both the countries.
During the meeting, Treier said the German companies are keen to be a strategic partner in the Qatari economic diversification programme that aims to move to a knowledge-based economy.
"We are equally looking forward to welcoming Qatari investments in Germany. In the coming months, we will work closely to implement these goals as part of our long partnership with the QB," he said.
Referring to the strong economic relations between the two countries; al-Kuwari said this was demonstrated during Qatar-Germany Business and Investment Forum in 2018 and the establishment of the JTF.
The other QBA members who participated in the meet include Dr Sheikh Khaled bin Thani al-Thani, the second deputy to the chairman; Saud bin Omar al-Mana; Omar Alfardan; Khalid al-Mannai; Sheikh Faisal bin Fahd al-Thani; Maqbool Habib Khalfan; Abdullah al-Kubaisi; Ihsan al-Khiyami; Muhamad Althaf; Ramiz al-Khayyat; and Sarah Abdullah, QBA deputy general manager.
