Meeting with Belgian Delegation
The Chairman of Qatari Businessmen Association, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, met HE Mr. / Phillipe Suinen, General Commissioner for the International Relations of the French-speaking community in Belgium and the Director-General of the Export Agency of the Walloon Region of Belgium, in the presence of the Belgian Ambassador HE Mr. Luc Devolder, Mr. / Munif Kilani, Commercial Attaché of the Embassy, on Tuesday, May 1, 2012, at QBA premises.
The two parties discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them. HE Mr. / Phillipe Suinen spoke about the investment incentives available in his country, which include an open economy, a unique geographical location, a developed transport network, and diversity in industrial base and commercial. Moreover small and medium enterprises occupy 70% to 80% of the Belgian economy.
On the other hand, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, welcomed HE Mr. / Phillipe Suinen and the accompanying delegation and mentioned that Belgium is one of the major trade partners of Qatar, where imports from Belgium are between U.S. $ 400 million and U.S. $ 600 million annually, and comprise industrial machinery, kitchen equipment for hotels, and chemical products. Sheikh Faisal also explained about the history of bilateral relations between the two countries, especially after the conclusion of the first agreement to import LNG from Qatar to Belgium in March 2007, making it the first European country to import LNG from Qatar.
At the end of the Forum HE Mr. / Phillipe Suinen thanked QBA Chairman for the meeting, and invited him to visit Belgium, as it is rich in investment opportunities and business possibilities in various fields.
It is worth mentioning that the Belgian economy is constituted of the service and tourism sector (77.7%), industry (21.6%) and agriculture (0.7%). Belgium also imports raw materials, machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw diamonds, pharmaceuticals, transport equipment, and petroleum products. Furthermore the Belgian exports include machinery and equipment, chemicals, ready diamonds, metals and metal products, and foodstuffs.