Doha, 10 Oct 2022

Mohamed bin Twar Al-Kuwari, First Vice-Chairman, Qatar Chamber of Commerce praised bilateral close relations between Qatar and Indonesia at all levels. He stressed on the need of further enhancing economic and commercial ties, facilitate the establishment of joint investments, and offer more investment incentives for the benefit of the two countries' economies.

He was addressing at the Qatari-Indonesian Business Forum this morning held at Hotel Sheraton Grand Doha. The event was organised by Indonesian Embassy in cooperation with Ministry of Commerce & Industry; Qatar Chamber; and Ministry of Trade of Indonesia.

Present on the occasion were Zulkifli Hassan, Minister of Trade of Indonesia;  Saleh Al-Khualifi, Assistant Undersecretary for Commerce Affairs, Ministry of Commerce & Industry; Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar, Ridwan Hassan; a 20 members delegation including Indonesian businessmen led by the Indonesian Trade Minister; and Qatari businessmen.

Al-Kuwari said that Indonesia is an important trade partner to Qatar, and bilateral trade volume grew by 78% from QR 1.8bn in 2016 to QR3.22bn last year.

Indonesia is rich in natural resources and a host of investment opportunities in various sectors such as tourism, real estate development, mining, food security, services, and halal trade. Indonesia is a promising market that offers a multitude of opportunities that attract Qatari investors and is an important gateway to the Southeast Asian region.

He said that business sector in Qatar are looking forward to boosting bilateral relations with their Indonesian counterparts and exploring the investment climate and opportunities available there.

Talking on mutual investments, he said that there are many Qatari investments in Indonesia in various sectors like communication, banking, trading, and others, while there are many Indonesian companies that invest in Qatar with Qatari partners in a variety of sectors.

Elaborating on Qatar's investment climate, Qatar Chamber First Vice-Chairman said that the State has an ambitious development plan in line with its National Vision 2030 that focuses on various sectors, affirming that Qatar has become one of the preferred destinations for global investments and enjoys a unique investment climate, attractive legislation, and stable political and social status, in addition to the distinguished geographical location.

Saleh Al-Khualifi, Assistant Undersecretary for Commerce Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said that the two nations' cooperation has witnessed a remarkable development, calling upon the Qatari and Indonesian business sectors to establish successful investment partnerships and to take advantage of the available economic opportunities that distinguish our two friendly countries.

Al-Khualifi indicated that the State has worked to strengthen existing commercial partnerships, create new ones, and attract more direct and indirect investments, especially in advanced sectors that support economic diversification in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.

Referring to the latest estimates of the World Bank anticipating that the Qatari economy is expected to grow by about 4.9% in 2022; , and the International Monetary Fund expected the non-oil sector to rise by about 4.1% compared to the oil and gas sector.

Minister of Trade of  Indonesia, Zulkifli Hassan in his opening speech said that trade volume between both countries in first half of this year amounted to               US $  758 m, an increase of 29 % compared with $ 587.6 m in same period of last year. That indicates a good opportunity to increase their trade, especially in light of Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022, as well as Indonesia's hosting of the G20 Summit next November.

Zulkifli said among Qatari investors in Indonesian market include prestigious organizations like  as QNB; Ooredoo; and Nebras Power which is encouraging for Qatari investors to get acquainted with available opportunities in Indonesia and explore partnerships with the Indonesian private sector in various sectors such as investment, tourism and others.

The Indonesian Minister invited Qatari businessmen to participate in the Trade Expo Indonesia 2022 (TEI) in Jakarta due to convene on October 19- 23.

Earlier, while welcoming visiting Indonesian delegation and Qatar Chamber of Commerce, Ridwan Hassan, Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar said that the Qatar-Indonesia business forum represents a good opportunity for business sectors to develop their relations and review forging partnerships and alliances.

The envoy praised deep relations between both countries in all sectors, mutual visits between both countries leadership and the agreements signed between them.

On the sidelines of the forum, Indonesian companies held an exhibition to showcase handcrafts, foodstuffs, and other products.