[ad_1]
The working visit of the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to Doha today comes at a time when relations between the State of Qatar and Greece are experiencing an outstanding period of mutual cooperation, with both parties keen to strengthen coordination and expand the existing partnership, particularly in the economy and investment, transport, energy, culture, education, tourism, sports and other areas of interest to both countries.
This is the second visit of the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic to the State of Qatar, during his visit to Doha on August 22, 2022, he was received by His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Greece, with whom he held official talks and discussed various aspects of the development of joint cooperation, especially in the economic and investment fields, in addition to exchanging views on the most outstanding regional and international issues.
In 2007, the two countries opened their embassies in the capitals of Athens and Doha, respectively, and since then, senior officials from the two countries have begun to exchange official visits at the highest level. His Excellency Carlos Papoulias, former President of the Hellenic Republic, visited Doha in 2006, and His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the Holy Land, visited the Greek capital of Athens in 2007. Since then, bilateral relations have continued to develop, with the signing of many agreements and memorandums of understanding in the fields of trade, media, air transport, military cooperation, tourism, culture, energy, investment, liquefied natural gas, and participation in projects established by the two countries.
The Qatari Chamber of Commerce participated in the first Arab-Greek Economic Forum in Athens on September 14, 2006, under the motto “Historical relations – new horizons of cooperation”, since the forum was held on September 14, 2006, to strengthen and develop the framework of cooperation relations between Greece and Arab countries and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Chamber of Commerce.
In 2008, Qatar signed an agreement with Greece for the avoidance of double taxation, and the two countries also signed an agreement on economic and technical cooperation on March 15, 2007, which was ratified by the State of Qatar on September 15, 2009. In May 2010, the official bodies of the two countries signed an agreement to amend some provisions of the air transport agreement and a memorandum of understanding, in addition to a memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation and the energy sector, in view of the openness of the State of Qatar to projects in the energy and its industrial sectors and the contribution of Greek companies to Qatar’s construction work.
In the context of strengthening cooperation between the two countries, the State of Qatar participated in two “EU and Arab World Summits” held in the Greek capital Athens in 2016 and 2017, aimed at supporting partnerships, strengthening cooperation in various fields and strengthening economic relations between the EU and Arab countries.
Since the establishment of the Qatar-Greece Business Council in 2015, the economic and trade relations between the two countries have continued to develop, becoming a platform for dialogue between business leaders, decision-makers in government agencies and those who are concerned with strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. The Qatar-Greece Construction Industry Business Conference was held in Doha in April 2019 and was attended by Mr. Panaiotis Mihalos, Chairman of the Qatar-Greece Joint Business Council, several Qatari business owners and representatives of 25 Greek construction companies. Building and construction.
During the meeting, Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Towar Al Kuwari, First Vice President of Qatar Chamber, stated that the number of Greek companies operating in the State of Qatar is estimated at about 64, including 8 wholly-owned Greek companies, and 56 Greek companies that have established partnerships with Qatar, noting that Qatar Chamber supports all efforts to strengthen partnerships between Qatari companies and their Greek counterparts in all economic and commercial fields for the benefit of the economies of both countries.
The growing relations between the two countries include the Agreement on the waiver of visa requirements for holders of valid diplomatic, official or special passports signed by the Governments of the State of Qatar and the Hellenic Republic on 2 May 2019 and ratified by the Government of Greece. State of Qatar 2 March 2020.
The State of Qatar last attended the Arab-Greek Economic Forum on October 27, 2022 through the Qatar Chamber.
The Chamber said in a statement at the time: Trade between Qatar and Greece increased by 120% in 2021 to approximately 897 million riyals, compared to 409 million riyals in 2020, noting that a second “Gulf-Greece Business” meeting was held as part of the forum’s activities to discuss investment relations, existing opportunities and the experiences of both sides in the food industry sector.
On the other hand, in January 2017, former Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, accompanied by representatives of the Greek defense industry, paid an official visit to Doha and held talks on defense cooperation between the two countries. They also attended the Doha International Defense Exhibition and Conference.
Also in 2017, former Greek Foreign Minister, HE Mr. George Katroukalos, met with HE Mr. Sultan bin Saad Al-Muleki, Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Doha in May and November respectively. In May 2017, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Kokkalis, visited Athens to discuss with Qatari officials ways of bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture and food industry.
Under the leadership of the current Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece has recovered and is on track to grow by 8.3% in 2021 and 5.9% in 2022. Mitsotakis has managed to reduce the tax burden imposed by the European bailout program following the consequences of Covid-19. Athens was deprived of tourism revenues, one of the most important tributaries of its economy.
Government statistics show that Greece has attracted increasing investment in recent years, with foreign direct investment reaching a 20-year high in 2021, while gross fixed capital formation increased by 12.7% in the first three months of 2023.
The government said it is building a floating unit near the coastal city of Alexandroupolis to convert liquefied natural gas into its natural state, and plans to build other units nearby. These facilities are a source of investment that the State of Qatar is interested in. Energy and LNG sectors because it offers them the opportunity to participate in large data storage and transmission sites, the digital economy, renewable energy, tourism and real estate.
Greece is located in the southeast of the European continent. According to the 2019 census, its population is about 10 million to 750,000 people. It occupies a strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. Greece is located at the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula and has the longest coastline in the world, including a large number of islands, of which 227 are inhabited.
Its capital, Athens, has a unique heritage and cultural value in Greece. Greece’s rich historical heritage is reflected in its 18 sites listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is also considered the cradle of Western civilization. The first century AD saw the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Church, which formed the identity of modern Greece, and after the War of Independence in 1830, the modern state of Greece emerged.
[ad_2]
Source link
