Qatar is all set to participate as the guest country in the upcoming Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) scheduled to be held in June this year.

It is expected that about 50 entities from Qatar will participate in the forum with the participation of more than 500 people. Qatari pavilion’s area is approximately 3900 m2 distributed in four zones for exhibiting and non-exhibiting entities.

In this connection, the Qatar Chamber (QC) hosted a virtual introductory meeting in cooperation with the Qatari-Russian Center for Cooperation (QRCC) on Thursday.

Held under the theme ‘Qatari-Russian Cooperation Opportunities’, the webinar aimed at reviewing means of boosting commercial and economic ties between Qatar and Russia, as well as identifying the latest developments regarding the Qatari participation in SPIEF.

The event witnessed the participation of QC Board Member and Chair of Qatari-Russian Business Council Ali bin Abdullatif Al Misnad and QRCC Supervisory Board Chairman Fahad bin Mohammed Al Attiyah. The webinar was also attended by many QC board members.

Addressing the event, Misnad stressed the importance of holding the webinar in identifying the preparations related to Qatar’s participation in SPIEF as the guest country, noting that SPIEF is an international forum that has been held since 1997.

Underscoring the importance of SPEIF, Misnad said, the forum represents a genuine opportunity for participants to conclude agreements and deals and sign between major global economic and financial institutions, as well as discuss the key economic issues facing the world.

He expressed his hope that the webinar would help participants learn more about the Qatari participation in SPIEF. He noted that during Qatar Chamber’s participation in the last edition of SPIEF held in 2019, Qatar Chamber signed MOU with Roscongress Foundation, which is the organiser of the forum.

The chamber will participate in the next version of the forum within the pavilion of Qatar, alongside several ministries, institutions, and economic and developmental bodies in the country.

QC Board Member also expressed his confidence that SPIEF will contribute to strengthening cooperation relations between the two friendly countries, especially between the Qatari private sector and its Russian

counterpart.

“SPIEF provides an important platform for identifying the attractive investment climate in Qatar and promoting the Qatari economy in general and private sector projects in particular, as well as exploring the investment opportunities available in Russia and discussing the possibility of establishing alliances and joint projects between Qatari and Russian businessmen,” he said.

In his opening remarks, Attiyah emphasised that the SPIEF is the largest investment and economy-focused event of its kind in Eastern hemisphere. Highlighting the significance of Qatar being officially invited as a guest country at SPIEF, he said, “It is an honour which enables Qatar to enhance bilateral investment and trade ties between the two nations, while also opening up considerable opportunities for Qatari companies to set up partnerships with Russian companies.”

“The role of QRCC is to bring together Qatari and Russian businessmen prior to SPIEF 2021 for discussions on deals, and to facilitate their investment and trade fields between them, to ensure tangible deals and agreements at SPIEF 2021 as well as successful bilateral cooperation,” he said.

QC Board Member Ibtihaj Al Ahmadani called for a wider participation of Qatari businesswomen at the forum to learn about the investment opportunities available in Russia, stressing that Qatar is a robust and promising market for Russian businesswomen in numerous aspects of cooperation.

Details on the history and upcoming edition of SPIEF, the benefits for Qatar as a guest country, Qatar Chamber’s venue at the forum and the investment and trade opportunities available in Russia were also provided on the occasion.

QRCC CEO Diana Charmadova said that SPIEF is an important Russian business event that has been held in St Petersburg since 1997, noting that each year a large number of participants comes from more than 145 countries. The SPIEF audience includes heads of major Russian and foreign companies, heads of states and political leaders, prime ministers, deputy prime ministers, and governors, she said.

Elaborating on the benefits of the SPIEF’s guest country, Charmadova said this honorary position implies organising business events as well as exhibitions and cultural events, in addition to the construction of a national pavilion for showcasing the country’s capabilities in the economy, industry, culture, and tourism.