Ukraine and Qatar Agreed to Expand Cooperation at the Second Meeting of the Joint Commission

On September 2, the Second meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the State of Qatar was chaired by Minister of Finance of Ukraine Sergii Marchenko and Minister of Commercial and Industry, Acting Minister of Finance of the State of Qatar H. M. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari.

The first meeting of the Commission was held in December 2018.

The parties discussed further steps for the development of bilateral relations and identified promising areas of Ukrainian-Qatari cooperation, in particular investment attraction, business development, and cooperation in the areas of tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, health, and the financial sector.

Sergii Marchenko noted that mutually beneficial cooperation with the State of Qatar is one of the priorities of Ukrainian foreign policy.

"I am grateful to the representatives of the Parties for their significant contribution to the development of trade and economic cooperation. In April this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a working visit to the State of Qatar, which gave the impetus for the further development of strategic bilateral relations, "- said the Minister of Finance of Ukraine.

H. M. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari said that the State of Qatar is committed to a sustainable investment partnership with Ukraine.

"In August 2020, the Qatari company "QTerminals" signed an agreement with the Ukrainian Party on the concession of the seaport Olvia in Mykolaiv. Over the next five years, we plan to invest in the development of the Ukrainian port and its infrastructure. We will continue to expand investment partnerships in the future. Today's meeting of the commission is a necessary tool to achieve this goal, "- said the Minister of Trade and Industry, Acting Minister of Finance of the State of Qatar.

Summing up, Sergii Marchenko noted the importance of the meeting and the expansion of cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

"The meeting once again confirmed the desire of the two states to intensify economic activity. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing an upward trend in bilateral trade and hope to continue this positive trend. One of our top priorities is to attract investment in the economy of both countries and strengthen business cooperation, "- said the Minister of Finance of Ukraine.

During the visit, the Qatari delegation held several meetings with representatives of Ukrainian agribusiness to discuss the possibility of increasing the export of Ukrainian products, in particular wheat and animal feed, to Qatar.

In addition, the delegation visited medical institutions and industrial parks.

Also following the meeting, the co-chairmen of the Commission signed a joint Protocol on areas of further cooperation, which records the basic agreements of the meeting and on amendments to the Protocol between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the State of Qatar on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.