Qatar Chamber discussed means of promoting trade and investment cooperation with a Pakistani delegation, currently visiting Doha.

Addressing the meeting, which was held at Qatar Chamber headquarters in the presence of Qatari and Pakistani businessmen, Vice Chairman of Qatar Chamber Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Tawar hailed the historic relations between the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which witnessed a great development in the economic and trade field in reflection of the keenness of both governments to upgrade the bilateral relations to new prospects of cooperation at all levels.

Bin Tawar referred to the agreements signed between the two countries, such as the promotion and mutual protection of investments agreement in 1999 and the economic cooperation agreement in 1984, which paved the way for developing cooperation and increasing partnerships between businessmen in both countries.

He noted that trade exchange between the two countries reached 2.85 billion riyals ($783 million) in 2016. Pakistan is Qatar's 21st trading partner, but Qatari businessmen aspire to double those ratios.

The Qatar Chamber vice chairman called on the Qatari and Pakistani private sector to establish effective partnerships and engage in high-value projects that contribute to advancing these relations.

He said that Qatar Chamber urges the private sector to benefit from investment opportunities in Pakistan and to partner with Pakistani business owners, especially in the food, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, agriculture and other sectors, stressing its readiness to provide all necessary data and information in this regard.

Bin Tawar expressed hope that the meeting will contribute to enhancing economic cooperation between businessmen from both countries to serve the common interests of both countries.

For his part, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Zubair Tufail, stressed the importance of promoting mutual cooperation between the Pakistani and Qatari businessmen.

He called on Qatari businessmen to visit Pakistan in order to identify the investment opportunities available in his country, noting that there are many sectors that Qatari businessmen can benefit from by entering into constructive partnerships with their Pakistani counterparts.

Tufail stressed the importance of investment in the energy sector, especially as Qatar supplies large quantities of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Pakistan, which plays a major role in reducing the energy shortage in the country. He also highlighted the importance of investment in other sectors such the iron and steel industry, construction of airports and ports, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, services and other sectors serving mutual investment.

He underlined that Pakistan enjoys an attractive investment environment with many opportunities. It has large markets with a population of more than 200 million and has substantial reserves of natural gas, iron ore, copper, limestone and agricultural lands.