HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani presided over the Qatari delegation participating in the Qatar-Luxembourg Business Forum held in Luxembourg City.
Addressing the Forum, HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani stressed the close ties between Qatar and Luxembourg which witnessed a steady growth, thanks to the exchange of official visits between the two countries and the signing of bilateral agreements in various areas, especially in the economic, tourist, financial, scientific and cultural sectors.
He stressed the importance of enhancing bonds of co-operation in various fields, especially economic, trade and investment, innovation and technology, noting that Qatar considers innovation as a top priority and seeks to attract leading specialists from international companies in order to achieve Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 to build a diverse and competitive knowledge-based economy.
He also stressed the need to develop the volume of trade exchange between the two countries, which amounted in 2015 to around $25mn.
HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani reviewed the growth rates achieved by the Qatari economy in 2015, praising Qatar’s advanced rank in various global indices, including the Global Competitiveness Index, in which Qatar is first among Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa and the 14th in the world.
On the current conditions in the global economy, given the volatility of oil prices and decline of growth rates, he called for joint efforts to achieve investment partnerships to enhance the immunity of both countries’ economies.
HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce expressed hope that this forum would contribute to increasing the volume of trade exchange between the two countries and establishing effective partnerships and new investments opportunities between Qatari businessmen and their Luxembourg counterparts.    
Meanwhile, Chairman of Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, addressing the forum, pointed out that Luxembourg has taken advantage of its geographical location to play an influential and vital role in economic, political and cultural fields.
Qatar has been able to continue to implement a long-term investment strategy, in which the State constitutes a newly open-minded partner to investors, he added.
The main objective of the forum is to contribute to the sustainable development of Qatar and Luxembourg through strengthening relations between the two countries and encouraging businessmen from both sides to discuss joint investment opportunities.
Besides the Chairman of Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, the Qatari delegation for the Qatar-Luxembourg Business Forum included a number of representatives of the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) Qatar Rail, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the Ministry of Energy and Industry, Qatar Foundation For Education, Science and Community Development (QF), Nebras Power QSC, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), Katara Hospitality, Manateq  and Qatar Airways.
The event was also attended by Sheikh Ali bin Jassim al-Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to Belgium and Head of Mission of Qatar to the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).  
Meanwhile, Luxembourg’s Minister of Finance Pierre Gramegna welcomed HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce and the accompanying delegation, praising the developments taking place in Qatar in all fields and wishing relations between the two countries further development and growth. He also stressed his country’s keenness to enhance relations with Qatar.