​On the sidelines of the SelectUSA Investment SummitH.E Minister of Economy and Commerce meets with US Secretary of Treasury and a number of US government officials
 
H.E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Minister of Economy and Commerce, met on Thursday, June 21, 2018, with H.E Mr. Steven Mnuchin, US Secretary of Treasury. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the SelectUSA Investment Summit that is being held on June 20-22, 2018 in Washington, DC.
 
Discussions touched on the promotion of bilateral relations between Qatar and the US on the economic, commercial and investment levels.
 
H.E Minister of Economy and Commerce highlighted the historic US-Qatari ties, noting that bilateral relations have grown significantly since the signing of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement – or TIFA – back in 2004.
 
H.E. The minister emphasized that recent initiatives including the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue, Qatar’s Economic Roadshow across US, and the participation of Qatar in the SelectUSA Investment Summit represent key steps towards consolidating the partnership between Qatar and the United States.
 
H.E Minister of Economy and Commerce, also met with Mr. Pete Ricketts, Governor of the State of Nebraska, Mr. Gary Herbert, Governor of Utah, Mr. Kelly Anthon, a member of the Senate of Idaho, Ms. Bobbi Jo Meuleman, Director of the Idaho Department of Commerce and Mr. Don Pierson, Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development.
 
Discussions touched on mechanisms to support joints investments and encourage the Qatari and US private sectors to establish innovative joint investment projects across key sectors in line with the economic policies of both countries.
 
H.E Minister of Economy and Commerce shed light on the latest developments that the Qatari economy witnessed over the past years and the investment incentives that Qatar is offering across all fields as well as the initiatives launched to support the private sector and bolster its contribution to overall economic development and attracting foreign direct investment.
 
The meeting also touched on the measures taken by Qatar to encourage and attract investments, including a draft law to regulate the investment of the non-Qatari capital in economic activity, which allows foreign investors 100% ownership across all sectors and facilitates the access of investors into the Qatari market.
 
Qatar and the US enjoy close economic and trade relations, which have reflected positively on the volume of bilateral trade, which reached about QR 21 billion in 2017. The US is Qatar’s first trading partner and primary source of imports, with 16.3% of Qatar’s imports coming from the US.
 
More than 650 American companies currently operate in Qatar, of which 117 are fully owned U.S companies in addition to 20 oil and gas companies and over 30 American companies licensed under the QFC umbrella.
 
The SelectUSA Investment Summit is a leading event aimed at promoting foreign direct investments in the US with the participation of senior government officials, CEOs, private sector representatives and entrepreneurs. Every edition of the summit focuses on a specific theme related to the US investment environment, overall industry trends and new opportunities. This year’s edition will feature a number of key topics, including promoting global economic prosperity, investments in energy, innovation and technology, workforce development and rebuilding the US infrastructure.
 
SelectUSA Investment Summit is expected to bring together more 3,200 participants, representing 64 international markets and 51 US states, with the participation of the US Secretaries of Commerce, Treasury and Labor, as well as a number of governors and the US Chamber of Commerce officials.