08.03.2018
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met with the Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who is on a state visit to Bulgaria. The focus of the talks was on the possibilities for more investments from Qatar in Bulgaria, as well as the infrastructure projects for connectivity in the Balkans and the European Union.
Prime Minister Borissov informed the Qatari Emir about with the transport corridors 4, 8, 9 and 10 and the meetings with the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank. He added that between Bulgaria and Qatar there have already been several good agreements in favor of the business and connectivity, but the time has come for the two countries to set more ambitious investment targets.
The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani congratulated Prime Minister Borissov for the EU Presidency and expressed confidence that it will be a success. “We agreed that we should no longer waste time talking, we must work. That is why we have discussed several steps for building even closer ties between our two countries and in particular in the field of investment,” the Emir of Qatar said.
During the meeting, at a special ceremony three memoranda of cooperation in the field of energy, education, and youth and sport were also signed.
In the field of energy, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar and Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, signed a memorandum allowing both sides to cooperate in building new infrastructure for the supply of liquefied or compressed natural gas from Qatar to our country and the region of Southeastern Europe. Bulgaria and Qatar will support the participation of their national energy companies in joint projects in the field of exploration, extraction, transmission, and distribution of hydrocarbons. They will look at specific opportunities for joint actions, including through the creation of a joint venture or other mechanisms.
Minister of Youth and Sports Krasen Kralev and the Minister of Culture and Sports of Qatar Salah Bin Canimi Al Ali signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at encouraging the development of youth and sports exchange programs, coordinating positions and opinions at world and international forums related to the youth sector, exchange of information and proposals based on the interests of youth centers and sport federations in Bulgaria and Qatar.
In the sphere of higher education, the rector of the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Professor Anastas Gerdzhikov and the President of the Qatari University Dr. Hassan Rashed Al-Derham signed a Memorandum of Cooperation for the purpose of establishing effective academic relations and cultural ties. The document provides for the two institutions to contribute to the training and development of the academic staff, as well as the exchange of knowledge and experience, and to carry out joint activities in various fields of science and education.
The two leaders welcomed the signing of the documents and Emir Sheikh Tamm bin Hamad al-Thani used the occasion to invite Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to visit Qatar and thanked for the cordial welcome in the Council of Ministers.
