The President of the CEOE is committed to strengthening business cooperation between Spain and Qatar

The President of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, along with the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, opened the Spain-Qatar business meeting held Wednesday, 18 May, at the head office of the Business Confederation in Madrid, to assess business and investment opportunities for Spanish companies in Qatar and to enhance bilateral relations.

In his speech to the Qatari business delegation, led by the President of the Qatari Businessmen’s Association, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, Antonio Garamendi said there are “close business ties between the two countries that we want to strengthen at this meeting.”

Thus, the President of the CEOE expressed his conviction that “bilateral relations can continue to grow and mutually enrich our countries” and that this meeting “will allow the Qatari delegation to learn more about Spanish companies, which are international leaders in a wide variety of sectors including those related to renewable energies, infrastructure, the environment, the media, banking, distribution, real estate, the sports industry, the airline industry and tourism, among others.”

“It will also give Spanish companies a better understanding of the investment possibilities in Qatar,” he added.

On the other hand, the President of the CEOE highlighted the creation of the Qatar-Spain Business Committee under the leadership of the Qatar Business Association and the CEOE.

“Today we are going to reaffirm our commitment with the conviction that this is a very valuable tool for boosting economic and business relations between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Spain,” he concluded.

During the meeting, several bilateral agreements (MOUs) were signed between Spain and Qatar.

The meeting was also attended by the President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet; the President of the Qatari Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Jassim Bin Mohammed Al Thani; the Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Sánchez Galán; the Co-Chairman of the Qatar-Spain Business Committee, Sheikh Khalid Bin Thani Al Thani; the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto; and the Qatari Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Qassim Al-Abdullah Al-Thani.
 
The Minister, Reyes Maroto, announced that the Joint Intergovernmental Commission will be relaunched and a session will be held before the end of the year. For his part, the President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet, pointed out the opportunities that are opening up in the Qatari market for Spanish companies due to the ambitious investment plans in infrastructure and, more specifically, the roadmap of the Qatar National Vision 2030 strategic plan, which is based on innovation and sustainable growth.
 
Moreover, there was a round table on investment opportunities in Qatar moderated by the President of CEOE International, Marta Blanco, and consisting of Sheikh Ali Bin Al Waleed Al Thani, of the Qatar Investment Promotion Agency (IPAQ); Yousuf Mohammed Al-Jaida, of the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC); Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Thani, of the Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA); and Yousef Abdulrahman Al-Salehi, of the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP).
 
Likewise, the CEO of ICEX Spain Export and Investment, María Peña; the President of Iberdrola Renovables Energía, Xavier Viteri; the Vice-President of Técnicas Reunidas International, Manuel Alabart; the International Director of LaLiga, Octavi Anoro, and the Editor of Diario AS (Grupo Prisa), Vicente Jiménez Navas, discussed economic and business relations between Qatar and Spain. These four Spanish companies have had interests in Qatar for some time.

Family photo of authorities present at the CEOE Business Meeting