Exploring “promising” investment opportunities in a wide range of sectors, including agriculture and energy, could further bolster Qatar-Indonesia economic relations, a top Qatari diplomat has said.
Speaking at a recently-held webinar, Qatar’s ambassador to Indonesia, Fauzia Edrees al-Sulaiti, also noted that Qatari businesses are looking forward to investing in Indonesia following the successful projects by Ooredoo, QNB, Nebras Power, and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).
Qatar and Indonesia are looking forward to increasing cooperation in the field of investments, al-Sulaiti said in a speech, adding that “Indonesia is a strategic partner of Qatar.”
“There is a strong desire between both sides to further develop investment relations between Qatari and Indonesian companies to help promote investment and share economic benefits.
“I hope we can create a stronger and vibrant continuity between Qatar and Indonesia. We are encouraging more companies to explore potential investments and opportunities available. In our view, the most promising sphere of co-operation is in agriculture, fisheries, transport, electrical, energy, oil and gas, tourism, and sciences and education,” al-Sulaiti said.
During the webinar, Indonesian ambassador Ridwan Hassan said Indonesia-Qatar economic relations, particularly in trade and investment, have been showing an increasing trend. Trade between both countries, especially pre-Covid-19, has almost reached “$1bn,” he noted.
“We have witnessed excellent bilateral relations between Qatar and Indonesia in different fields, thanks to the visionary leadership of both countries that cement the solid foundations of relations through high-level visits between 2015 and 2019 before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“One of the recent achievements is the signing of a Letter of Intent by both countries’ foreign ministers to provide humanitarian and development assistance to Afghanistan. Even though this is mostly political, I believe that through this endeavour, economic co-operation will also flourish,” Hassan pointed out.
Hassan said the webinar is one of the initiatives that aim to expand the bilateral cooperation between Qatar and Indonesia, especially in the economic field. He said both countries’ sovereign wealth funds “are in discussion for a possible project that would be established in Indonesia.”
“Investment co-operation can easily be seen from the solid presence of quality investments from three Qatari companies in Indonesia: Ooredoo, QNB, and Nebras Power,” Hassan emphasised, adding that “there are also potential projects in the tourism sector with Qatar and hopefully in other areas.”
He added: “We are following closely and enthusiastically the progress in the plan to develop an integrated dairy facility in Indonesia by Qatari firm, Baladna Food Industries (BFI), replicating what the company has successfully accomplished in Qatar in terms of producing milk and dairy products.”
 
 
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