VISIT OF LORD GREEN WITH A BUSINESS DELEGATION TO QBA
Sheikh Fasial Bin Qassim Al-Thani has organized a Dinner at his Museum in the honor of the visit of H.R.H Prince Andrew, Duke of York and UK’s special representative for international trade & Investment, H.E John Hawkins the British Ambassador to Qatar, Mrs. Laura Hutchings, assistant private secretary, Mr. Richard Sykes, assistant private secretary and Mr. Mark Ellam Director of UK Trade & Investment at the British Embassy on Monday November 21.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Hussain Al-Fardan, QBA first deputy Chairman, Shk. Nawaf Bin Thani AL-Thani, QBA board member, Shk. Hamad Bin Faisal Bin Thani Al-Thani, QBA board member, Mr. Sherida Saad Al Kaabi QBA board member & QBA member, Mr. Maqbool Habeeb Khalfan.
Prince Andrew thanked QBA members for their warm welcome, and stated that this visit aimed to exchange views on enhancing economic relations and seeking investment opportunities to increase the bilateral trade between the two countries.
This visit comes as a complement to previous high official visits between Qatar and the UK, the most notable of which was the visit of His Highness Sheikh. Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir and HH Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al-Misnad, to the United Kingdom in 2010, followed by the visit of H.E the UK Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron in Feb 2011.
Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al-Thani, welcomed the delegates to Doha and expressed the interest of Qatari businessmen in the British market, and their desire to strengthen the economic relations between the two countries.
Mr. Hussain Al-Fardan also mentioned that the projects that Qatar is planning to undertake, after winning the honor of hosting the 2022 World Cup, will allow the British companies to strengthen their presence in the Qatari Market and in the region.
It is also worth mentioning that the Qatar and UK relations is witnessing a rapid growth , and increase in the bilateral trade between the two countries, were the bilateral exchanges of commercial goods surpassed 3 billion pounds sterling in 2010, and it has seen 90% increase in the first four months of 2011 compared to the same period of 2010.
Qatar is also the UK's third largest export partner in the Gulf region, and the fourth in the Arab world. The two countries have witnessed singing of several Memorandums of Understanding on commercial and technical cooperation, during the visit of HH the Emir to the UK in 2010, and Memorandum of Understanding on avoidance of double taxation in 2009.