H.E. the Minister of Commerce and Industry meets with H.E. UK’s Minister for International Trade

July 21, 2020
Meeting to discuss latest COVID-19-related developments takes place using video conferencing technology

H.E. Mr. Ali bin Ahmed Al-Kuwari, Minister of Commerce and Industry, met with H.E. Mr. Ranil Jayawardena, the UK’s Minister for International Trade, through visual conferencing technology on Tuesday, July 21, 2020.

Discussions centred on the promotion of bilateral relations and the development of joint cooperation, particularly in the fields of trade, investment and industry.

The meeting also touched on trade policies, the impact of the COVID-19 virus on economic and commercial activities in both countries, and the efforts that both parties have been pursuing to mitigate the economic repercussions of this crisis.

Both sides followed up on topics on the agenda of the Joint Ministerial Committee for Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation, and discussed coordination mechanisms to bolster bilateral trade and enhance cooperation in priority sectors, which would serve the development aspirations of the two countries.

The United Kingdom and Qatar traded QR14.06 billion worth of goods in 2019, the equivalent of $3.85 billion, ranking the UK as Qatar’s 7th largest trading partner.

Also, a total of 1010 British companies are currently registered at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Qatar. These include 69 representative offices, seven fully owned British companies and 934 Qatari-British companies with a $2.6 billion capital operating in engineering consulting, contracting, information technology, trade and services, in addition to 35 British firms licensed under the umbrella of the Qatar Financial Centre.