​As part of Qatar’s Economic Roadshow across a number of U.S citiesQatar-U.S Economic Forum kicks off tomorrow in Raleigh, North Carolina
 
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce, in cooperation with the Qatar Chamber, the U.S Chamber of Commerce, the Qatari Businessmen Association, the U.S-Qatari Business Council and a number of official U.S agencies, organizes on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, the Qatar-U.S Economic Forum in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The forum is organized within the framework of Qatar’s Economic Roadshow in the U.S, which spanned four US cities in its first phase starting in Miami Florida, then Washington DC, Charleston, South Carolina and Raleigh, North Carolina.
The forum aims at bolstering and expanding Qatari-U.S trade and economic relations and provides an important platform for dialogue between businessmen from both countries. The forum also presents an opportunity to promote cooperation between the Qatari and U.S private sectors and to discuss the development of joint investment projects to the benefit of both countries.
The forum will bring together senior political, economic and trade officials along with businessmen and CEOs of major companies from both countries.  Panel discussions will be held on the sideline of the forum between representatives of the Qatari and U.S business sectors in a bid to strengthen existing economic partnerships. The forum will also feature a round table to discuss ways to take advantage of business opportunities in the U.S and to enhance cooperation between businessmen in both countries.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has already organized three Qatar-U.S economic forums in the cities of Miami, Washington and Charleston, in cooperation with the Qatar Chamber, the U.S Chamber of Commerce, the Qatari Businessmen Association, the Qatari Business Council and a number of official bodies in the US.
The ministry also organized on the sidelines of the forums a number of workshops and sessions between the Qatari and US private sectors as well as roundtable sectorial discussions. The roadshow also featured the opening of two exhibitions in Miami, California and Charleston city, South Carolina.
 
The first and second editions of the exhibition brought together representatives from official institutions in Qatar including the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar Airways, Doha Film Institute, Qatar Foundation and Qatar Foundation International along with a number of U.S companies that have partnered in investment projects with Qatar such as Occidental Petroleum, Boeing, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips.
A delegation led by HE His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassem bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Commerce participated in the Economic Roadshow. The Qatari delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Ministry of Energy and Industry, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Qatar Chamber, Qatar Airways (QR), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha Film Institute (DFI),  Qatar Stock Exchange, Free Zones Authority, Qatar Financial Centre, beIN SPORTS , the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy , Qatar National Bank (QNB) , Al Manteq Company, Qatari Diar , Katara Hospitality and Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), and several other major Qatari institutions.
Qatar’s Economic Roadshow in U.S cities featured economic forums, bilateral discussions, meetings between Qatari businessmen and their American counterparts, and roundtable sectorial discussions in the fields of real estate, investment, hospitality, tourism, hotel, technology, health, medicine, banking, law, public-private partnerships and infrastructure projects.
US-Qatari bilateral economic relations have grown significantly since the signing of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement – or TIFA – back in 2004. Today, the U.S is considered as a strong trading partner with a volume of $6 billion and is the primary source for Qatari imports.  In 2017, 16% of Qatar’s imports came from U.S.
650 American companies currently operate in Qatar, including 117 companies 100% owned by US citizen.
The total value of exports and orders to Qatar reached about 145.8 billion dollars, which would contribute to the creation of one million U.S jobs based on existing investments by Qatar.
In 2015, Qatar investment Authority pledged to invest $45 billion over a five-year period of which $10 billion will be invested in the U.S infrastructure.
Qatar Airways also established direct flights between Doha and 10 destinations in the U.S including Miami, Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia, streamlining business access to the U.S.  Qatar Airways also purchased U.S made aircrafts worth 92 billion dollars from Boeing.