On March 7, in a bid to fortify Gulf trade practices, Qatar chaired the 49th meeting of the Permanent Committee for Combating Harmful Practices in International Trade of GCC countries. Saif Jassim Al Kuwari, head of national product competitiveness support department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) and representing Qatar, led discussions with representatives of the member states.
Strengthening Gulf industries
The two-day summit in Doha delved into safeguarding Gulf industries against detrimental trade practices. The discussions focused on protecting gulf industries from practices harmful to international trade, as well as discussing updates of current investigations and complaints and follow up on measures taken in addition to number of other related topics.
Meetings with the WTO
That day, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al-Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry, convened with H.E. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), underscoring Qatar’s commitment to advancing trade relations. Their dialogue emphasized the outcomes of the 13th ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi, focusing on economic and social development imperatives and how the cooperation agreements between Qatar and the WTO could be enhanced. The two representatives also discussed the recommendations issued the ministerial conference that will contribute to reinforcing the ability of member states to achieve economic and social development.
Ongoing cooperation
Minister Al-Thani commended the WTO’s pivotal role in addressing global economic challenges, highlighting Qatar’s support for multilateral trading systems. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala lauded Qatar’s active engagement and contributions with WTO initiatives, affirming its significance within the WTO framework.
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