BRUSSELS: Fresh efforts at bolstering economic and trade relations between Belgium and Qatar kicked-off on a high note as Belgium’s Princess Astrid, representative of the King of Belgium, met Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani and other ministers.
Princess Astrid also held talks with Minister of Economy and Commerce H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed Al Thani.
Minister of Finance H E Ali Sherif Al Emadi, in the opening speech at Qatari-Belgian Forum, said the volume of trade exchange between the two countries in 2014 exceeded 1.2bn euros in 2014. Qatar’s exports of oil, gas and their derivatives in 2013 and 2014 totalled $1.8bn.
Al Emadi said the Qatari-Belgian Forum aims at pushing forward friendly relations between the two countries to more cooperation in all fields in order to increase the volume of trade and open new horizons for joint investment between Qatar and Belgium. He also expressed the hope that the Forum would come out with constructive results supportive to the path of cooperation between the two countries and the common interests of both sides.
On the sidelines of the Forum, Qatar and the Kingdom of Belgium signed an agreement on the prevention of double taxation and fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. The agreement was signed by Al Emadi and Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs for Foreign Trade and European Affairs Didier Reynders, in the presence of Princess Astrid.
The Forum also witnessed a signing ceremony between Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) and VOKA Flanders, and between Qatar Chamber and Belgium Chambers-BECI.
Princess Astrid also presided over a delegation of visiting ministers and other high-level government officials from Belgium at meetings with top government officials of Qatar.
The huge economic mission from Belgium has representatives from 223 companies, 22 federations, two universities and 20 public organisations. Members of the delegation participated in several seminars that included presentations from Mariam Al Khalaf of Qatar’s Ministry of Economy and Commerce and Valere Vangeel, General Counsellor of the Belgian Federal Public Service Economy on Digichambers, on the topic of doing business in their respective countries.
