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A delegation from the Qatar Chamber and the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) recently conducted a three-day business visit to Bordeaux in southwestern France.The visit, held at the invitation of Qatar’s ambassador to France, Sheikh Ali bin Jassim al-Thani, and organised in co-operation with the French Qatari Economic Association (CADRAN), aimed to further strengthen bilateral ties between both countries and promote economic cooperation with all French cities.As part of the programme, the delegation toured several industrial sites and leading companies, including the headquarters of Thales Group and Olikrom, a French company specialised in smart colour-changing materials. They also visited prominent research centres in Bordeaux to explore opportunities for cooperation and investment.The visit witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Qatar Chamber and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bordeaux-Gironde. The agreement, signed by Qatar Chamber chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani and Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bordeaux-Gironde chairman Patrick Seguin, in the presence of Sheikh Ali, aims to strengthen economic relations and open new horizons for collaboration between the two sides.During the visit, a business roundtable was held to discuss cooperation opportunities between Qatari and French companies. The session also introduced the city of Bordeaux, its suburbs, and the Gironde region, highlighting their leading economic sectors. It also reviewed Qatar’s business environment, investment climate, and available opportunities in both countries, with a focus on enhancing bilateral cooperation in trade and investment.Sheikh Khalifa praised the close ties between Qatar and France, affirming that France is a trusted and strategic partner. He emphasised that their relationship goes beyond diplomacy, representing a dynamic partnership built on trust, shared vision, and proven success. He also emphasised that the Qatar Chamber is committed to establishing partnerships with the French private sector based on trust, value creation, and sustainability.“From real estate to sports, and hospitality to innovation, Qatari investments in France are significant and growing, while the interest from French companies in Qatar’s vibrant market is stronger than ever. Trade exchange between the two countries has reached substantial levels, exceeding €1.3bn last year, making France an important trading partner for the State of Qatar,” Sheikh Khalifa said.Sheikh Khalifa said Qatar has established a robust business environment aimed at attracting and empowering partners. He invited French business leaders to visit Qatar to experience firsthand the country’s development and investment opportunities.For his part, Seguin praised the strong ties between the two sides, noting that the meeting represents an important step towards enhancing cooperation between the business sectors of Qatar and France. He also highlighted the investment climate and advantages in Bordeaux, as well as opportunities in key sectors including aviation, artificial intelligence, and technology.Sheikh Ali highlighted the complementary strengths of Qatar and Bordeaux, noting that Bordeaux’s expertise in advanced technologies, environmentally friendly industries, and key sectors, such as health, security, and tourism, combined with Qatar’s strategic location, advanced infrastructure, and ambitious economic diversification programme, create numerous promising opportunities for cooperation.He added that the visit provides a valuable platform to explore these opportunities and marks the beginning of successful partnerships and business alliances between the two sides.Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser al-Thani, QBA board member, praised the strong relations between Qatar and France and expressed the shared desire to further develop them. He noted the significant potential for growth within this partnership, particularly in light of France’s economic recovery plan, reduced inflation, and the shift towards an innovative and sustainable digital economy, where Qatari investments play an important role.Sheikh Nawaf also emphasised Qatar’s remarkable progress across legislative, logistical, and infrastructure fronts, which positions the country as an attractive destination for French investors, offering substantial incentives and proximity to major regional markets.He highlighted Bordeaux’s unique investment advantages, noting its prominence in air navigation and aviation, renewable energy, technology, smart cities, textiles, food industries, and artificial intelligence.Sheikh Nawaf said the QBA, through a network of investors, major companies, and committed businessmen, seeks to strengthen the private sector’s role and establish genuine partnerships with French counterparts in both Doha and France. He also affirmed the QBA’s readiness to explore all available investment opportunities in Qatar and France.The business delegation attended a gala dinner held at the Bordeaux-Gironde Chamber of Commerce and Industry, bringing together members of the delegation with economic officials from Bordeaux.In his remarks at the dinner, Sheikh Ali highlighted that the visit reflects a shared ambition to deepen economic relations between Qatar and France. He emphasised that the goal is to foster sustainable partnerships between companies and institutions, explore co-investment opportunities, and facilitate the exchange of expertise across a range of vital sectors.

The Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) has hosted a dinner in honour of Swedish Minister for International Development Co-operation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa and his accompanying delegation.On the sidelines of the luncheon, both parties held a meeting to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral co-operation, particularly in trade and economic sectors, as well as exploring the investment climate and opportunities available in both countries. The discussions also addressed the role of the private sector in promoting mutual and joint investments and enhancing trade exchange.The minister was accompanied by CEOs and representatives of various Swedish companies operating across multiple economic sectors, including Swedish ambassador Gautam Bhattacharyya.QBA board members Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser al-Thani and Sherida al-Kaabi welcomed the minister and his delegation in the presence of QBA members Khalid al-Mannai, Ibrahim Jaidah, Ashraf Abu Issa, Yousef al-Mahmoud, Dr Mohamed Althaf, and QBA deputy general manager Sarah Abdallah.During the meeting, Sheikh Nawaf affirmed the QBA’s commitment to developing and expanding co-operation, partnerships, and knowledge exchange between the two countries, and exploring available investment opportunities.He noted that Qatari-Swedish relations have witnessed remarkable growth in recent years, particularly in the fields of technology, innovation, renewable energy, and healthcare. He also highlighted the Qatari private sector’s interest in strengthening partnerships with its Swedish counterpart, whether through joint ventures or the exchange of expertise and modern technologies, contributing to sustainable economic development in both countries.Sheikh Nawaf emphasised that Qatar and Sweden enjoy strong and rapidly growing relations, especially in commercial and economic fields. At the private sector level, there are numerous opportunities for partnership and collaboration between Qatari and Swedish companies, particularly in technology and innovation-driven sectors.The minister lauded the significant progress Qatar has achieved across various sectors. He noted that holding a business forum between entrepreneurs from both countries reflects a shared commitment to expanding co-operation to broader horizons. He also invited Qatari companies to invest in Sweden’s technology sector, pointing out that the country ranks among the top countries globally in innovation.

The Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) held a meeting with Qais bin Mohammed al-Yousef, the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion of Oman, and his accompanying delegation in Doha Saturday.The meeting, held on the sidelines of a luncheon hosted by QBA deputy chairman Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Thani al-Thani, discussed bilateral co-operation, especially in commercial, economic, and investment sectors, as well as the role of the private sector in boosting mutual trade and joint investments.QBA chairman HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani welcomed the minister and his delegation in the presence of board members Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser bin Khaled al-Thani and Saud al-Mana.Also in attendance were QBA members Ibrahim Jaidah, Ashraf Abu Issa, Faisal al-Mana, Nabil Abu Issa, Maqbool Habib Khalfan, Yousef al-Mahmoud, Dr Mohammed Althaf, and QBA deputy general manager Sarah Abdallah.Sheikh Faisal noted that the brotherly relations between the two countries serve as a distinguished model within the GCC, highlighting the increase in reciprocal visits aimed at strengthening economic partnerships between Doha and Muscat.He also proposed the formation of a joint technical committee to study potential investment opportunities in various developmental projects across Oman, whether in industries, tourism, and the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, among others. This committee would aim to identify clear projects for both sides, paving the way for meaningful investments in agreed sectors, he said.The Invest Oman Authority, affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, presented investment opportunities to Qatari investors in diverse sectors, such as fisheries, food and pharmaceutical industries, manufacturing, technology, mining, renewable energy, tourism, and agriculture.Sheikh Khalid emphasised the strength of the brotherly ties between Qatar and Oman, describing them as a model of constructive cooperation. He affirmed the commitment of both leaderships to deepening strategic ties, especially economically, based on the belief that these partnerships significantly contribute to the countries’ development visions through active involvement of the private sector — the cornerstone of a successful economy.He further stated that Oman is an important economic and trade partner for Qatar, highlighting the recent visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Oman, accompanied by a large delegation of businessmen. This visit marked a step forward in advancing cooperation in strategic sectors, such as tourism, manufacturing, food security, education, and logistics — all representing projects of mutual economic value.For his part, al-Yousef thanked the QBA for hosting the ministry’s delegation and praised the bilateral relations between the two sides. He invited QBA members to visit Muscat to explore the various available investment opportunities.He welcomed QBA’s proposal to form a joint technical committee under the supervision of his ministry, aimed at laying the necessary groundwork to turn ideas into real projects. He stressed that building sustainable economic partnerships between the two countries is a strategic necessity and emphasised his ministry’s commitment to intensifying efforts and communication to eliminate any challenges facing investors.He also praised the QBA’s positive role in supporting joint efforts to enhance economic and trade co-operation. The minister also praised Qatari investments in Oman and expressed Oman’s desire to see more Qatari private sector investment.The Omani side presented a detailed overview of investment opportunities across several sectors and outlined the incentives provided to foreign investors, along with key indicators and facilitations in the business environment.They pointed out that Oman has 22 free and industrial economic zones, offering significant investment opportunities in various sectors, including logistics, food industries, tourism, mining, education, innovation, technology, healthcare, and more.Trade volume between the two countries increased by nearly 20% last year, reaching over QR6.2bn.