DOHA: Qatar is looking at India as an important investor destination. The launch of Qatar’s world-class port will further bolster the trade relations between the two countries, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi has said . The Minister was formally opening the inaugural edition of Qatar India Business and Investment Conference (QIBIC) here yesterday in the presence of India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, MJ Akbar.
Qatar has deep-rooted and bilateral trade relationships with India and the time has come to take India-Qatar partnership to new high level. The deep knowledge of Indian businessmen in the Qatari market will be an important factor to taking these bilateral relations to the next level. The Minister said the conference comes at a time when the State of Qatar is opening up to foreign investment and expanding its business partners, in order to strengthen its position as a regional investment and commercial center providing investors with incentives and facilities to benefit from local and regional markets.
A session, titled ‘Doing Business in Qatar’, hosted by Sheikha Alanoud Hamad Al Thani, Managing Director, Business Development, Qatar Financial Center (QFC), discussed the various ways of setting up business in Qatar through different platforms, including QFC. This was followed by a presentation by Ajay Kumar, Asst. General Manager, Asset and Wealth Management, on ‘Qatar India Winds of Change’, which examined Qatar-India relations with a focus on the current Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) that are in place and plans to enhance economic cooperation. Delegates were then given insight into ‘Doing Business in India’ by Gaurav Gupta, CEO QNB India, which outlined the options available for international companies and entrepreneurs looking to start a business in India.
The second session of the opening day, ‘Digital Governance’ focused on the shift towards smart governance and the digitization of systems and processes. The day’s third thought-leading discussion examined the best practices for nurturing entrepreneurs and SMEs.