H.E. Mr. Ali Bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Minister of Commerce and Industry, held separate meetings with H.E. Mrs. Manisha Singh, Acting Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment; Mr. Khush Choksy, Senior Vice President for Middle East and Turkey Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and H.E. Ambassador Anne Patterson, President of the U.S-Qatar Business Council. The meetings took place on the sidelines of the second Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue in Doha.

Discussions touched on the promotion of joint cooperation on the economic, commercial and industrial levels, as well as opportunities to bolster bilateral trade in light of the economic potential and resources of both countries. Discussions also focused on the latest developments in terms of bilateral trade, industrial and investment relations, and efforts to develop ties.

During the meetings, H.E. Minister of Commerce and Industry outlined investment opportunities across all sectors, as well as the legislations adopted by the State and the initiatives launched to support the private sector and attract foreign direct investments.

H.E. also highlighted the importance of exchanging visits between Qatari and US businessmen, and encouraging cooperation between government agencies and the private sector to serve the common interests of both countries.

Qatar and the U.S. enjoy close trade relations that have positively reflected on the volume of bilateral trade, which amounted to approximately 6 billion US dollars during the first 10 months of 2018.

The U.S. ranks as the first source of Qatar’s imports and the country’s 5th trading partner, accounting for 6.23% of the Qatar’s total foreign trade.

The number of US companies operating in Qatar has risen to 682 firms, including 117 fully owned U.S. companies and 565 joint Qatari-U.S. firms. In addition, 55 U.S. companies are licensed under the umbrella of the Qatar Financial Centre.