Qatar's Ambassador to US Meets American Experts

Qatar's Ambassador to US Meets American Experts

Washington/Information Office /17 January 2015/ Qatar Ambassador to the United States Mohamed Jaham Al-Kuwari met here today at the Qatari Embassy premises with a group of American women experts of political affairs. During the meeting, organized by the Women's Foreign Policy Group, HE the Ambassador welcomed the American experts, pointing to their many activities in the fields of education promotion, diversity and integration in foreign affairs and also spoke about the training programmes provided by the group, describing them as a fine example not only for young women in the United States but also for girls worldwide. He referred to the similar groups in the State of Qatar such as Qatari Businesswomen Association which was founded as a leading economic organization focusing on the advancement of women and the appreciation of their contributions to the community, noting that the Association had launched a number of initiatives such as the Qatari Businesswomen Award, the Corporate Ambassadors Programme and Qatar International Businesswomen Forum. HE Al-Kuwari said "We value and encourage the role played by organizations such as the Qatari Businesswomen Association at the local, regional, and international levels, since women are an essential element in all sectors, in business, education, sports and economy." During the meeting, the Ambassador also touched on the economic cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United States, noting that Doha sought to diversify its economy to shift from reliance on the energy sector. He noted that the Qatari plan includes four specific objectives to be achieved by the year 2030 namely: economic development, which will transform Qatar to business attracting hub in the Middle East, the social development, which will focus on building a large network of social institutions and supporting infrastructure, and human development, which will provide an outstanding higher education and opportunities to apply it effectively and productively and the environmental development, which will promote investment in clean technology. Dr. Al-Kuwari also talked about investments in the infrastructure of the State of Qatar, explaining that Doha is expected to spend more than USD 65 billion in housing development, roads, water systems, airports and shipping facilities. On the long-term strategy of Qatar with respect to the investment industry, the Ambassador said Qatar will invest in many countries. However we welcome foreign investment, notably from the United States," Al-Kuwari said stressing the importance of Qatari-American partnership. He also shed light on the Qatari projects in the United States, noting that Qatar donated USD 100 million for relief efforts in New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico to help victims of Hurricane Katrina and recently the opening in downtown Washington "City Centre" project, a USD 1.5 billion pilot development project.