Qatar treats Sri Lanka as strategic partner in South Asia

Qatar considers Sri Lanka a strategic partner in South Asia, according to Qatar Chamber Vice Chairman Mohamed bin Towar al-Kuwari.

The Qatar Chamber Vice Chairman said Sri Lanka and Qatar have signed various agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance economic relations but trade between the two countries had not reached its full potential and what has been achieved so far does not reflect the capabilities of both countries.

According to al-Kuwari, the total trade volume between Qatar and Sri Lanka only reached $ 73 million in 2017.

The Qatar Chamber Vice Chairman was speaking at ‘Employment Promotion in Qatar’ held at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort and Convention Hotel on 25 January. The event was organised by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Qatar Chamber, the Gulf Times reported.

"The State of Qatar is attaching great importance to developing co-operation relations in South Asia. There are many Qatari investments in this vital region and there is room for more in the near future," al-Kuwari said in his speech.

In 2017, al-Kuwari said the Chamber met with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who, according to the Qatar Chamber official, "was very keen to meet Qatari businessmen whom he encouraged to invest in Sri Lanka."

Al-Kuwari noted that there are around 210 Sri Lankan companies operating in Qatar with a capital of about QR 45.5 million ($ 12.5 million).

"On behalf of the Qatar Chamber, I'd like to invite more Sri Lankan companies to take part in the renaissance taking place in Qatar and to establish joint ventures with Qataris in all sectors."

"Meanwhile, we urge Qatari businessmen to explore the abundant investment opportunities in Sri Lanka and to establish business partnerships and alliances with their Sri Lankan counterparts," al-Kuwari said.

He said there are around 120,000 Sri Lankans employed in Qatar, and added that the "distinguished relations" between Qatar and Sri Lanka "are reflected by the presence of a large number of Sri Lankan expatriates who contribute to the development of Qatar."

"I will seize this opportunity to emphasise Qatar's great efforts to strengthen and ensure the rights of the expatriate labourers through the applied laws and procedures. The achievements of Qatar regarding the care of expatriate labourers included the building high-quality labour camps and creating labour dispute resolution committees to facilitate litigation for labourers in need of care," al-Kuwari said.