​​Qatar, as an adherent to a 40-member group led by Switzerland, hailed the important role that the World Trade Organization and multilateral agreements play in stabilizing the global economy and supporting its growth.Qatar is a founding member of the World Trade Organization, which it joined in 1996.
The State of Qatar participated on Tuesday, May 8, 2018, in the General Council meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Qatar, as an adherent to a 40-member group led by Switzerland, stressed its full support for the WTO and multilateral agreements.
The 40-member group voiced concerns over growing trade tensions and the risks associated with the multilateral trading system and global trade amid recently increasing trade protection measures and countermeasures between a number of countries.
The group called on all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue and cooperation within the framework of various WTO bodies. The group also commended the important role that the WTO and multilateral agreements play in stabilizing the world economy and supporting its growth.
Qatar is the only Arab country to join the 40-member group of the WTO, and was one of the founding countries of the organization, which it joined in 1996. The State of Qatar hosted the WTO Fourth Ministerial Conference in 2001, when the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), which is the centerpiece of the ongoing WTO negotiations, was launched.