On the sidelines of the recent visit of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, to the Republic of Finland, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry, and His Excellency Ville Tavio, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of the Republic of Finland, inaugurated the Qatar-Finland Roundtable for Business in Helsinki, the capital of Finland.
Representatives from Chambers of Commerce, businessmen, investor associations from both sides and representatives of major Qatari and Finnish companies attended the roundtable.
In his opening speech, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Thani emphasized that the visit of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani aimed to strengthen the momentum in bilateral relations between the two countries. He affirmed that the roundtable represents an essential platform for discussing various topics of mutual interest and economic opportunities in the trade and investment sectors, to develop partnerships and open new horizons for cooperation between the business sectors of both countries.
His Excellency noted that Qatari-Finnish relations have significantly developed recently, with trade and investment cooperation between the two countries reaching $107.6 million in 2023. He expressed optimism for achieving further significant contributions in bilateral trade relations, especially given the considerable opportunities available in Qatar’s vital sectors, such as energy and renewable energy projects, infrastructure, digital transformation, financial and logistics services.
His Excellency also invited Finnish investors and companies to take advantage of Qatar's outstanding economic and investment environment, pointing to the incentives and legislation that encourage foreign investments and develop non-oil exports.
His Excellency, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, concluded by expressing his hope that this meeting would enhance bilateral cooperation between the business sectors of Qatar and Finland, leading to new partnerships and alliances and elevating trade exchange levels in line with both countries' development and growth aspirations.
During the roundtable discussions, the advantages of the business environments of Qatar and Finland were highlighted, and ways to strengthen cooperation in several areas were discussed. Additionally, several bilateral meetings were held between Qatari private sector companies and several Finnish producers and exporters to explore cooperation opportunities, exchange expertise, and build new investment avenues in sectors of mutual interest.
The roundtable concluded with the signing of several memoranda of understanding, aimed at increasing bilateral cooperation and, consequently, bilateral trade exchange.
It is worth noting that the Qatar-Finland Roundtable aims to enhance trade, investment, and industrial cooperation between the two parties and open communication channels between representatives of the Qatari and Finnish private sectors to establish investment projects that serve the interests of both countries.
