Qatar seeks closer ties with Thailand 

Qatar seeks closer ties with Thailand 

Dosari: Door open to Thai business
Dosari: Door open to Thai business

Qatar, a tiny Gulf state with the world's highest income per capita, is keen to expand economic and social ties with Thailand and other countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS).

Shrugging off Western concerns about the military regime running the Thai government,  Jabor bin Ali al-Dosari, Qatar's ambassador to Thailand, said both countries should play on their strengths to help each other in agriculture, construction, energy, health, trade and tourism.

He was speaking as he prepares to vacate the post, which he has held since October 2011.

"Coup or not, it is a Thai issue and we follow the government's roadmap. We want to expand contacts with the government as we realise the Thai private sector needs a big push from the state to play an active role overseas," Mr Dosari told the Bangkok Post after both nations marked the 35th year of their bilateral relationship in August.

Mr Dosari said the Bangkok visit of Qatar's then-head of state, Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in 2006 to mark the King's diamond jubilee, had strengthened bilateral ties. 

The value of two-way trade between the countries is expected to reach US$5 billion (181 billion baht) this year, up from $4 billion last year, the envoy said. Thailand exports food, jewellery, furniture, vehicles and electronics to Qatar, and imports mainly energy products and fertilisers from the Gulf state. 

In 2012 Thailand secured a 20-year contract with Qatargas, the world's largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), for annual deliveries of 2 million tonnes of LNG.

Doha says it wants to help Bangkok develop its food security programme, while Thailand has offered Qatar its expertise in artificial rain-making, agriculture, aquaculture and hydroponics.

Qatar, a country of 2.2 million people with per-capita purchasing power of $98,814 (3.57 million baht), offers many business opportunities for Thai construction companies and workers, observers say.

"Our door is open and I'm ready to discuss any problems with Thai business people,'' said the Qatari ambassador, who also represents his country's interests in Laos and Cambodia. He said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has accepted an invitation to visit Qatar.

China, Japan and South Korea have been active in Qatar while the Thai corporate presence includes the Japanese-Thai company Toyo (which runs a desalination project), Amari, Anantara and Dusit, Mr Dosari said.

The ambassador said he would like to see talks on a stalled labour agreement being expedited.

"We've been inviting Thai labour ministers to visit us since 2012 but they couldn't make it. I've just met the current labour minister and look forward to his visiting Qatar to see the situation there,'' he said.

About 4,000 Thais work in Qatar, around 3,000 of whom are technicians and engineers involved in infrastructure projects while the rest work in the restaurant, spa and hotel sectors.

Thai ambassador to Qatar Piroon Laismit said a Thai trade fair is planned for Doha next year.

Thailand expects an increase in visitors from Gulf countries after the introduction of daily flights by Qatar Airways -- four daily Doha-Bangkok flights, and one direct flight to Phuket, he said.

The Qatari ambassador said the number of visitors from Qatar to Thailand has doubled to 30,000 this year, a substantial number compared to Qatar's population.

Visa services for visitors from Qatar and other Middle East countries also are set to improve, after the Tourism & Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said he was working with the Public Health and Interior ministries to increase visa renewal services at hospitals to accommodate medical tourists.

The Qatari government says it has also supported Islamic affairs in Thailand, providing 50 scholarships to Thai students and financial support to Fatoni University, a private Islamic university in Pattani and a hospital there. 

"We expect the hospital to service not only Muslims but Buddhist Thais in the southern region as well," Mr Dosari said.

He had proposed to his government that it join other nations as development partners in the Mekong River Commission as the region "has great potential".

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