‘Qatari firms can use Poland as hub for expansion into Europe’

Poland, which considers Qatar as a key partner, is keen to act as a hub for the Qatari firms wishing to expand into Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the European Union."Qatar is a very important trading partner for us. We import one-third of our LNG (liquefied natural gas) from Qatar and we want to diversify our trade relations to sectors other than energy,” Poland’s ambassador to Qatar Janusz Janke told the media on the sidelines of a function to announce the fourth Qatar-Poland New Tech forum.Poland is a manufacturing hub, so there is scope for greater co-operation in automotives, tyres and electronics sectors, he said.Highlighting that Andrzej Duda, President of Poland, had visited Qatar twice, the Polish envoy said it helped in further boosting the economic relations, which are based on strong political understanding.The bilateral talks had touched on the issues of energy security, co-operation in the areas of security and defence, food security, the possibility of implementing joint trade and investment projects, including under the Three Seas Initiative, as well as important events on the international arena, including the situation in the Polish-Belarusian border.Pawel Kulaga, chairman of Qatar-Poland Business Council, said Poland can be treated as a hub, like Qatar is the hub for the Middle East, East Africa and South Asia."Qatari companies can use Poland to expand into CEE and European Union,” he said. Although there aren’t many polish companies in Qatar, he said the potential is "high”.Highlighting that the few Polish companies are in the fields of IT, logistics and food supply, Kulaga said "we have the presence, but can grow significantly”.Grzegorz Gawin, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of Poland, said the Polish companies need to learn more about the Qatari market and vice versa."They (Qatari companies) need to explore the central Europe and study the market potential there, and which sectors are growing,” he added. Business Page 1