BCCI signed an agreement with Qatar Chamber to establish a joint business council

An agreement on the establishment of a joint business council between the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Qatar Chamber was signed on 8 March during a Bulgaria – Qatar Business Forum in Sofia.

More than 200 companies from Bulgaria and Qatar took part in the forum organized by the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA). The event was officially opened by the Bulgarian Minister of Economy Emil Karanikolov, who welcomed the Qatar companies for their interest to enter the EU market and establish representations in Bulgaria, such as logistics and production bases, research and development centers.

The Minister of Economy and Commerce of the State of Qatar H.E. Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani​ pointed out the great potential in the field of commerce and investment between the two countries, which needs to be utilized.

The President of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov welcomed the participants and said that Qatar is an important strategic partner. He presented BCCI’s excellent relations with Qatar Chamber, which date back to 2007, and the cooperation with the World Trade Center – Qatar. Simeonov presented the regional structures of BCCI, the free zones in Bulgaria, the Chamber’s data bases and the advantages of the Arbitration Court at BCCI.

H.E. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Jassem Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Chamber and Head of the Qatar business delegation also welcomed the participants. He presented the members of the delegation – 40 businessmen from the sectors of agriculture, food industry, construction, real estates, chemical industry, pharmacy and automotive industry.

The forum continued with a presentation of the investment opportunities in Bulgaria by the Executive Director of InvestBulgaria Agency Stamen Yanev.

The guests from Qatar outlined the challenges and opportunities for joint projects, investment and tourism with the State of Qatar, and the perspectives for bilateral cooperation in the field of food industry and food safety, transport and building the infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.