*Kais Saied arrives in Doha on state visit
*Qatar, Tunisia enjoy exceptional relations
In response to an invitation from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, President of the brotherly Republic of Tunisia, Kais Saied, arrived in Doha on Saturday, on a state visit to the country.
His Highness the Amir will discuss with the Tunisian President at the Amiri Diwan Sunday means of supporting and strengthening the strong bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, and issues of common interest.
Sami al-Saidi, Tunisian ambassador to Qatar had announced in press statements that President Kais Saied's visit to Qatar will extend over three days, during which talks will be held with the country's leadership and senior officials.
The Tunisian ambassador affirmed that the visit is important on more than one level, as it “reflects the high pace of exchange and consultations between the two brotherly countries. Within less than one year, and under an exceptional global circumstance overshadowed by the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), two visits are accomplished, the first of which was His Highness the Amir made to Tunisia after a few months of the presidential and legislative elections in Tunisia".
He also noted that His Highness the Amir was the second leader to visit Tunisia after Kais Saied assumed office in October last year, and that visit was the fourth for the Amir to Tunisia in four years. "There are only a few countries that have received such visits in such a space of time".
The Tunisian ambassador stressed the visit confirmed the exceptional nature of bilateral relations and the keenness of the leaderships in the two countries to consolidate them. It also affirms that Qatar stands by and supports Tunisia, he said, expressing hope that the visit will give additional impetus to the partnership between the two countries.
President Kais's visit represents an opportunity to exchange views and consultations on the most important regional files (issues), taking into account the role of Tunisia as the only Arab member of the UN Security Council, and Qatar's position on the regional scene, thanks to its soft and active diplomacy and the mediation efforts it facilitates in many conflicts, al-Saidi pointed out.
Qatar and Tunisia have close historical relations distinguished in many fields. Qatar stood by the Tunisian people and their revolution since the beginning until it achieved its goals.
Qatar has maintained its position as one of the most important investors in Tunisia and as one of its most important financial and economic partners, as Tunisia hosted an international investment conference "Tunisia 2020", which came at the initiative of His Highness the Amir. The Amir's attendance of this important event had a great impact on giving a new impetus to the relations between the two countries, especially on the economic and investment side. The Amir announced before the opening session of the conference that Qatar would direct an amount of $ 1.25bn in support of the Tunisian economy, and to strengthen and consolidate its development path.
According to earlier reports, Qatari exports to Tunisia have increased six times during 2011-2019, while Tunisian exports to Qatar rose by 10 times during the same period.
Major Qatari enterprises like Ooredoo and Qatar National Bank (QNB) have invested heavily in the telecom and banking sectors, respectively, in Tunisia.
Qatar, through the Qatari-Tunisian Friendship Fund, has been encouraging private initiatives and projects for creating thousands of jobs for Tunisian youth, and fostering entrepreneurship.
