Senior Qatari delegation visits U.S. to strengthen economic ties

DOHA, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A high-level Qatari delegation has started a visit to the United States to boost bilateral economic relations, Qatar's Ministry of Economy and Commerce said in a statement Tuesday.

The delegation's schedule in the U.S. includes attending economic forums and meetings with U.S. officials and businessmen, the statement said.

Besides, the two sides will hold roundtable discussions over various topics, including real estate, investment, tourism, technology, health, banking, law and infrastructure projects.

The delegation, consisting of representatives from various financial institutions and authorities, is headed by Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed Bin Jassim Bin Mohammed Al-Thani.

"Over the past decade, Qatar has cemented its partnership with the United States in the form of direct investments, joint ventures and trade deals," said the Qatari minister.

He also said that the direct investments had contributed to creating new business opportunities for both Qatar and the United States.

The Qatari business team will attend the Qatar-U.S. Economic Forum in Miami starting Thursday, which will bring together more than 400 businesspeople and officials from both countries.

They will also visit Washington D.C., and the states of Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina.

The two nations enjoy sound military and economic relations. as Qatar currently hosts the Al-Udeid air base, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East.

The tiny Gulf country also accommodates more than 658 U.S. companies, of which 117 are fully owned U.S. companies. The volume of U.S. investments in Qatar has amounted to 26.3 billion Qatari riyals (7.22 billion U.S. dollars). Enditem