The business councils of Qatar and Indonesia have collaborated to organise a virtual dialogue and business matching event on Tuesday, January 26, as part of efforts to create robust trade and economic ties between both countries.
The webinar would focus on areas, such as food and beverages (F&B); cables, electricals, and fibre; cement and building materials; paper, wood, and furniture; jewellery; ceramics; and handwoven goods, said Qatar-Indonesia Business Council (QIBC) president Farhan al-Sayed.
According to al-Sayed, opening remarks would be delivered by Qatar Chamber chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to Indonesia Fawziya Edrees Salman al-Sulaiti and her Indonesian counterpart Ridwan Hassan, and Kadin KT30KI chairman Fachry Thaib.
The webinar will be moderated by Kadin KT30KI vice chairman Mufti Hamka.
“Indonesia is among Qatar’s very important trade partners in the Southeast Asian region; considering positive growth forecasts in 2021 and the succeeding years, we are looking forward to a very big leap in trade between Qatar and Indonesia.
“Qatar’s plans to gradually open up the market is on track; now that the rollout for the Covid-19 vaccine is ongoing and may soon be available to the country’s expatriate population, this enhances investor confidence in the country aside from earlier steps taken by the government to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow,” al-Sayed told Gulf Times on Friday.
Al-Sayed noted that the reopening of borders between Qatar and four of its Arab neighbours “has created positive vibes” in terms of local and international trade, and anticipated growth among major industries, businesses, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
He said the QIBC and its counterpart, the Indonesia-Qatar Business Council (IQBC), are hoping that the end of the Gulf rift would create a spillover effect in the forging of robust economic relations with Qatar’s partner countries, such as Indonesia, whose trade with Qatar “is expected to grow not only in the hydrocarbon sector but also in non- oil and gas areas.”
Citing newly-appointed Indonesian ambassador Ridwan Hassan, al-Sayed said the top diplomat “is very optimistic” in the further growth of trade between Qatar and Indonesia, considering that “there are plenty of investment opportunities” that both countries have to offer.
Al-Sayed said Qatar’s free zones are among the areas that Indonesian investors should explore closely in light of the investor-friendly incentives that are being offered by the Qatar Free Zones Authority.
Indonesia wants to be a reliable partner in supporting Qatar in its preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to al-Sayed. This was reiterated by IQBC president Hendra Hartono Turman, who said “dialogue between Indonesia and Qatar is important, especially during the pandemic.”
“As preparations are ongoing for the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Indonesia ensures its support for Qatar in order to make this prestigious event a success. At this stage of the pandemic, Indonesia also supports Qatar in its food security efforts, as well as in other sectors like health, particularly in the medical devices industry, which are potential areas that could help boost trade relations between both countries, among others,” Turman said.
“Indonesia aims to showcase its top-of-line products and goods before Qatari businessmen and representatives of other Doha-based companies, as part of efforts to enhance bilateral trade ties with Qatar, hence the staging of this upcoming virtual business matching network,” Turman added.
