Warsaw eyes more collaboration with Doha in high-tech areas: Polish president

Poland, which considers Qatar as its strategic ally in the energy security, is eyeing more collaboration in the area of hi-tech; its president Tuesday told the fourth Qatar-Poland New Tech forum.
"Currently Qatar is Poland's strategically important partner due to our co-operation in the LNG or liquefied natural gas sector, which has become an instrumental element of our energy security," Poland's President Andrzej Duda's address was readout by ambassador of Poland Janusz Janke at the forum organised by Qatar-Poland Business Council and Embassy of Poland in Qatar.
Highlighting his talks with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani during the visits to Qatar, Duda said the economic co-operation between the two countries was an important part of these discussions to stimulate growth of bilateral trade and investment.
"I am convinced that high-tech is the most prospective real of our future collaboration," he said, adding the forum would provide a decent platform for capturing these opportunities.
Not only does innovation in business require placing technologically advanced products and services high on development strategy but it also demand applying bold, creative thinking and challenging old patterns, for which international co-operation was imperative, he said.
Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad al-Thani, deputy chief executive officer and chief business officer, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), said both Qatar and Poland are committed to digital transformation across the sectors and this transformation is already underway with investments in cutting edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and blockchain.
"As we stand in the cusp of 2023, we find ourselves in the epicentre of technological revolution that holds the promise of transforming industries, economies and societies and Qatar is ideally positioned to harness this innovation. The key area is collaboration and innovation that we envision for the future here in Qatar," she said.
"We invite technologies to establish here in Qatar not just to access the local market but also use it as a platform to enter other emerging economies," she said, adding the country offers economic stability as it is one of the fastest growing economies with gross domestic product slated to grow 3.3% this year.
Laila al-Jefairi, vice-president of Business Development, QFC, said it plays crucial role in attracting investments into Qatar and the region.
"As Qatar is located in the heart of the Middle Eeast, it allows the QFC to provide strategic gateway for companies to access other regional markets," she said, adding year-to-date, the QFC has more than 1,800 companies with assets under management of more than $28bn.
Within the financial services sector, she said the QFC has as many as 45 international banks such as J P Morgan, bank of China and Citibank.
QFC had last year signed agreement with Digital Poland Foundation to cooperate on supporting the digital sector in Poland and Qatar and speed up the development of new technologies.
Mohamed al-Mulla, Investor Relations specialist, Investment Promotion Agency Qatar, highlighted that it is a single and complete source for investment solutions, helping to connect with the right people, resources, and platforms throughout the investment process.