QBA holds meeting with Finland’s Minister of Development Co-operation and Foreign Trade

05 Feb 2023 QBA Office

QBA Members attended


  • The Qatari Businessmen Association meets with the Minister of Development cooperation and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Finland.
  • The official Opening of the Embassy of Finland in Doha and inviting the members of the association to explore business opportunities in Helsinki.

Doha – Qatar
The Qatari Businessmen Association met yesterday with the Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Finland, Mr. Ville Skinnari, who is currently visiting the country to attend the official opening of the Embassy of Finland in Qatar. The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the State of Qatar, HE Mr. Pekka Voutilainen.
From the Qatari Businessmen Association, His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, QBA Chairman, Mr. Saud Al Mana, QBA Board member, and QBA members Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Thani, Mr. Nabil Abu Issa, Sheikh Turki bin Faisal, Mr. Youssef Al Mahmoud, Mr. Maqbool Habib Khalfan, Mr. Ihsan Al Khiyami, as well as Mrs. Sarah Abdullah, QBA Deputy General Manager, attended.
Skinnari called on Qatari businessmen to invest in his country, noting that there are many investment opportunities to enhance cooperation in many sectors such as oil and gas, advanced technological industries, smart cities, maritime industries and other fields. During his meeting with His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, QBA Chairman, Skinnari praised the close relations between the State of Qatar and Finland.
During the meeting, ways to enhance relations in the economic and trade fields were discussed in addition to reviewing the investment climate and opportunities available in the two friendly countries, as well as the possibility of developing relations between Qatari businessmen and their Finnish counterparts to establish joint investments, especially with the current cooperation in the aviation sector between Qatar Airways and its Finnish counterpart Fin Air, which aims at making Doha a regional air hub between the region and the Scandinavian countries, in addition to the presence of Finnish companies such as Nokia and others in the World Cup projects and their successful cooperation with FIFA and the Doha Metro, which was praised by the Finnish official.
The Finnish Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade expressed his happiness at Finland's opening of the Embassy in the State of Qatar, which aims at strengthening Qatari-Finnish relations and move them towards a new stage of cooperation.
Excellent relationships
For his part, His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani praised the bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in the commercial fields, pointing out that the Qatari private sector welcomes the strengthening of cooperation with its Finnish counterpart, highlighting the desire of Qatari businessmen to visit Finland and study the investment opportunities.
Sheikh Faisal also welcomed the idea of having a delegation of Finnish companies in Qatar to discuss cooperation opportunities that offer multiple advantages to foreign investors. He also stressed during his speech that the local market is ready to receive various Finnish investments.
Mr. Saud Al-Mana, QBA board member, pointed out that there are a number of Finnish companies that invested in the Qatari market in sectors such as tourism, medical sector, elevators, and others, confirming that the businessmen are willing to explore more opportunities.
For his part, HE the Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the State of Qatar Mr. Pekka Voutilainen praised the Qatari-Finnish relations, which witnessed growth in terms of trade exchange, with the aim of enhancing cooperation in the coming years. His Excellency also praised the State of Qatar's organization of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, stressing that it is a tournament that will not be forgotten, indicating in this context that he expects the tourism flow to both countries to increase post the tournament, especially with the steady flow of visitors that is already witnessed after the tournament.