Amir's visit affirms bilateral keenness to enhance ties

Chairman of Qatar-Poland Business Council Pawel Kulaga said that His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani's official visit to the Republic of Poland is very important and affirms the two countries' keenness to develop their bilateral relations and enhance their co-operation in various fields.

In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), chairman of Qatar-Poland Business Council highlighted Qatari-Polish relations, describing them as strong and solid. He pointed out that president of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda has visited Doha several times, the last time during the Qatar Economic Forum in May.

Regarding his country's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), he said "our relation with Qatar started on serious level because we started importing a lot of gas from Qatar," adding that this is very important for Poland because this makes it independent from other sources.

Kulaga emphasised the importance of strengthening partnerships between Qatar and Poland with the aim of increasing the volume of trade exchange between the two countries in all sectors, particularly in oil, gas, and food products.

"The statistics from 2022 showed that we imported more than $2bn of Qatari gas and we exported something around $150mn of goods. So there is a lot to be done," chairman of Qatar-Poland Business Council told QNA.

Pawel Kulaga pointed out that the Polish economy is now the sixth-largest in the European Union and that Poland is the fifth largest European country, calling on Qatari businessmen to invest in his country. He also said that Poland is keen to promote investments in logistics, cargo, new medical technologies, information technology, manufacturing, and agriculture.

There are many investment opportunities available in various sectors in the State of Qatar, he said, adding "we are also following the programs that are run by the Qatari government to promote joint ventures." "We are working closely with Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) and Qatar Free Zones (QFZ). So we always promote Qatar as a hub to the Middle East," he added.

He noted the role of Qatar-Poland Business Council in enhancing economic co-operation between Qatar and Poland, saying that the council was responsible for organising the economical side of the Polish president's visit to Doha in 2021, arranging meetings between Polish and Qatari companies, and organising four editions of Qatar-Poland New Tech Forum.

He also praised the rules for establishing companies in Qatar, saying "the rules for establishing a company are pretty easy, especially on the onshore platforms like the QFC." He noted that making business in Qatar "doesn't differ much from making business in Europe." In his statement to QNA, he expressed happiness with Qatar's successful organisation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. He said that hosting the World Cup is a testament to the development the State of Qatar has achieved in recent years, especially concerning infrastructure projects, noting that the tournament was so safe, and all the fans enjoyed it.