His Excellency Engineer Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Minister of Investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, praised the achievements made by the State of Qatar over the past decades.
His Excellency said in his intervention in the dialogue session, within the activities of the Qatar Economic Forum in cooperation with Bloomberg, under the title “Reengineering Globalization”. Every time we visit Doha, we see a new development. Last year, the country achieved a new standard in terms of hosting the FIFA World Cup. Qatar 2022, not only at the level of the World Cup stadiums, but also in terms of organization, and today it brings financial and business leaders, and political decision-makers together.
He added, “On this occasion, I would like to thank the State of Qatar for providing the opportunity to participate in this important global forum, whose organization comes at a time when we are witnessing more disturbing turmoil and divisions in the global system, including what is geopolitical such as the Ukrainian war, and the accompanying disruption in supply chains. We may see more of them, especially in light of the restrictions imposed on global trade.
His Excellency described the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council as bright, because of their political and economic stability, and the stability of their currencies, in addition to their possession of energy (oil and gas) and capital, and thanks to that they are growing faster compared to other countries of the world, as well as the gross domestic product of these countries. Countries are also growing strongly, for example, the Saudi economy grew by 31 percent, and is considered the fastest growing economy of the G20 countries.
His Excellency added at the forum: “The region possesses important capitals, and Gulf growth is a factor of stability for the world, and Riyadh is considered the economic capital of the region, which we see as a common Gulf market, and competition between its countries is good and for the benefit of all, and we look forward to building long strategic relations with various partners.” Especially in light of the interest of many countries wishing to invest in our region, we have visions, quality, manpower, and a lifestyle that is constantly improving, and this will undoubtedly reflect positively on the entire Arab region.
In the same session, which was moderated by Stephanie Flanders, Head of Economics at Bloomberg, Her Excellency Mrs. Kimi Badnoush, British Secretary of State for Business and Trade, focused on the issue of diversifying sources, and the need to help countries that suffer from weak growth rates around the world.
She added: «We have long and extended relations throughout history with the Arab Gulf states, and our cooperation with them is strong, and I am honored to be present among you today in this forum, and I thank the State of Qatar for organizing and hosting it, and for everyone who welcomed our first visit to Doha. I also thank Qatar for its successful hosting of the World Cup.
According to her happiness, the world is constantly changing, and it is a grave mistake to see it in the future in the perspective of the nineties of the last century, and what is required is to adapt to that change and shift towards the Gulf countries, and it is very useful to know our location, and at the same time be careful in our investments, as our strategy is not based on China alone, and our relations with it are pragmatic, just like other countries.
The British minister pointed out that supply chains today constitute a source of concern for all countries of the world, and it is dangerous to depend on one country, and not others, and these sources must be diversified, as she put it.
