Notwithstanding the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the flow of goods between Qatar and Australia remained robust, “highlighting strength and complementarity” for both economies, ambassador Jonathan Muir stressed during a webinar held on Wednesday.
“The health crisis provided an opportunity to increase our food exports with the continuity of Qatar Airways…Qatar stepped in to become a re-exporter of Australian produce enabled by its excellent infrastructure in aviation,” Muir explained, adding that the prospects for future economic and commercial collaboration between Qatar and Australia “are strong.”
Muir was among the speakers at Doha Bank’s webinar titled ‘Bilateral & Synergistic Opportunities between Qatar and Australia’. He was joined by Saad al-Shareef, Qatar’s ambassador to Australia; Moin Anwwar, Trade & Investment commissioner (Middle East), New South Wales Government Australia; Hilton Wood, chief representative, Doha Bank Australia Representative Office; and Doha Bank CEO Dr R Seetharaman, who moderated the event.
Al-Shareef said logistics is a “promising’ sector for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He also underscored the “many synergies” that exist between Qatar and Australia, citing growth in areas, such as the financial sector, education, agri-business, infrastructure, digital economy, and logistics and supply chains.
Seetharaman told the webinar that Qatar is Australia’s second-largest trading partner in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
Muir said Qatar’s investments in Australia are estimated at AUS$3bn in the property, logistics, agriculture, and energy sectors, citing Qatar Investment Authority and Nebras Power, among others.
He stressed that the Australian government’s overall economic and commercial priorities remain in growth and diversification of exports to Qatar and increased sovereign and private investment in Australia, including funding for research and innovation.
The ambassador also emphasised that Australia will continue to focus on supporting four priority export sectors: food and agriculture, infrastructure, resources and energy, and advanced manufacturing.
“Despite a really successful drive to develop a domestic agriculture sector, Qatar’s climate will remain a quality supply chain,” said Muir, adding that Australia’s direct food exports to Qatar “have grown very rapidly” because of the State’s “high-quality port and infrastructure.”
Muir said that while large-scale infrastructure work related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup is nearing completion, “there are still smaller services and related opportunities” that are available. “There are growing opportunities in facilities management as we move from construction to maintenance phase,” he noted.
He said Qatar has also been a “major source” of research funding over the past few years with 24 Australian universities with joint research projects with Qatar Foundation.
Qatar’s incubator space will also benefit Australian startups and scaleups seeking capital, the ambassador said, adding that Qatar is also seeking partnerships with Australia in Financial Technology (Fintech).
“The health crisis provided an opportunity to increase our food exports with the continuity of Qatar Airways…Qatar stepped in to become a re-exporter of Australian produce enabled by its excellent infrastructure in aviation,” Muir explained, adding that the prospects for future economic and commercial collaboration between Qatar and Australia “are strong.”
Muir was among the speakers at Doha Bank’s webinar titled ‘Bilateral & Synergistic Opportunities between Qatar and Australia’. He was joined by Saad al-Shareef, Qatar’s ambassador to Australia; Moin Anwwar, Trade & Investment commissioner (Middle East), New South Wales Government Australia; Hilton Wood, chief representative, Doha Bank Australia Representative Office; and Doha Bank CEO Dr R Seetharaman, who moderated the event.
Al-Shareef said logistics is a “promising’ sector for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He also underscored the “many synergies” that exist between Qatar and Australia, citing growth in areas, such as the financial sector, education, agri-business, infrastructure, digital economy, and logistics and supply chains.
Seetharaman told the webinar that Qatar is Australia’s second-largest trading partner in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
Muir said Qatar’s investments in Australia are estimated at AUS$3bn in the property, logistics, agriculture, and energy sectors, citing Qatar Investment Authority and Nebras Power, among others.
He stressed that the Australian government’s overall economic and commercial priorities remain in growth and diversification of exports to Qatar and increased sovereign and private investment in Australia, including funding for research and innovation.
The ambassador also emphasised that Australia will continue to focus on supporting four priority export sectors: food and agriculture, infrastructure, resources and energy, and advanced manufacturing.
“Despite a really successful drive to develop a domestic agriculture sector, Qatar’s climate will remain a quality supply chain,” said Muir, adding that Australia’s direct food exports to Qatar “have grown very rapidly” because of the State’s “high-quality port and infrastructure.”
Muir said that while large-scale infrastructure work related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup is nearing completion, “there are still smaller services and related opportunities” that are available. “There are growing opportunities in facilities management as we move from construction to maintenance phase,” he noted.
He said Qatar has also been a “major source” of research funding over the past few years with 24 Australian universities with joint research projects with Qatar Foundation.
Qatar’s incubator space will also benefit Australian startups and scaleups seeking capital, the ambassador said, adding that Qatar is also seeking partnerships with Australia in Financial Technology (Fintech).
