Qatar and Switzerland yesterday explored ways to enhance bilateral economic relations between the countries in view of the free trade agreement (FTA) between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and EFTA Association, which includes Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
This was disclosed by Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, along with other members, in an interaction with a Swiss delegation, led by Guillaume Barazzone, mayor of Geneva.
They discussed the potential investment opportunities, especially considering that the Qatari private sector reached a stage of maturity and strength that enables it to enhance its investments into other markets such as Switzerland.
Barazzone highlighted the constantly growing bilateral relations between Qatar and Switzerland, since the inauguration of the Swiss Embassy in Doha in 2013.
The mayor also introduced the Swiss delegation which comprised officials from different sectors such as manufacturing, tourism, financial and education sectors.
Sheikh Faisal spoke about the potential of bilateral cooperation especially in the areas of financial services and technology transfer, pointing at the existence of Swiss experts in Qatar in several areas.
HE Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani and QBA members Hussain Alfardan (first deputy chairman), Sheikh Hamad bin Faisal al-Thani, Maqbool Khalfan and Nabil Abu Eissa as well as QBA deputy general manager Sarah Abdallah were also present.