Prague: Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic H E Jozef Sikela affirmed that his country attaches great importance to the state visit of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to the friendly Czech Republic.
In an interview with QNA, the Czech Minister described the visit as “extremely important” for both countries, expressing his belief that the business relations between the Czech Republic and Qatar are developing extremely well.
He added: “I observe it that these are probably, from our point of view, the fastest development between two countries, so the visit of His Highness is extremely important for us, and it is giving the importance of this cooperation between our two countries”.
The Minister noted that Europe decided to get rid of the energy supplies of Russian sources as soon as possible, adding that: “This is a unique opportunity for new reliable partners, and I think this will be also a very important part of the discussion between the President H E Milos Zeman and the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on how to deepen bilateral cooperation”.
He also pointed out that the Czech Republic and Qatar signed an agreement to avoid double taxation last June, and the next logical step is the signature of the treaty about economic, trade and technical cooperation between both countries.
He added that the best cooperation and the best relations are always fruitful when they are beneficial for both parties, and when both countries can use their best knowledge, best technologies and the advanced knowledge, especially in energy sector. Under the current circumstances, this cooperation is extremely interesting, he added.
“Czech Republic is probably the most industrial country in the world, and industry has extremely high share on the GDP especially machinery,” the Minister said.
He pointed out that Czech companies can provide much, whether in the automotive sector, medical industries, energy or equipment and machinery. He said: “On the other side of course, Qatar can offer us a lot in the energy sectors, and there are also fields where we can cooperate and join the knowledge in renewable energy, information and communication technology, and smart cities,” noting that there are many areas of future cooperation between the two countries.
On Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Sikela said that what Qatar has achieved over the past years has simply been “a huge success story”, adding: “I visited in my life already, few of the major sports events. In fact I would like to congratulate Qatar for winning with distinction, it will be the first country in the region to have the opportunity to organise the World Cup”.
He added: “In fact, when I visited Qatar’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, I immediately knew that it would organise a wonderful and distinguished tournament. I am really looking forward to that, and I wish Qatar the best, Qatar will have the opportunity to turn all eyes of the world in one time, and I’m sure that Qatar will deliver an excellent championship”.
The Minister added that if he could describe the development witnessed by the State of Qatar in a few words, it would be “a huge success”, and concluded: “I wish the Qatar national team every success in the tournament. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be a major turning point in the history of the State of Qatar, not only economically but also politically. It could be the beginning of a new era of economic collaboration. I’m looking forward to this visit and to future cooperation”.
