Salon Diplomatique Qatar 2014
- January 16, 2014
- 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm
- Anglo-German Club | Harvestehuder Weg 44, 20149 Hamburg
- +49 (0) 40 609 455 437
EMA invites its partners, members and friends to join us to the first EMA’s event of the year with leading figures from politics, business and society to:
EMA’s New Year Reception
Salon Diplomatique with Mrs. Angelika Renate Storz Chakarji
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Qatar
16th January 2014 from 12.00 p.m. – 2.30 p.m.
Anglo-German Club, Harvestehuder Weg 44, 20149 Hamburg
Language: German (tbc)
The state of Qatar poses, like most of the Gulf countries, diverse cooperation and development opportunities especially for German entrepreneurs. In this exclusive event, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Qatar, Mrs. Angelika Renate Storz-Chakarji, reported first hand on the German-Qatari economic relations providing specific recommendations to the German SMEs. In addition Mrs. Storz-Chakarji presented the situation of the women in Qatar as well as in the Sultanate of Oman, where she previously served.
Qatar has increased its GDP by 700% in the last 10 years
The EMA New Year Reception 2014 was not only a perfect occasion to present the upcoming activities and events of the Country Association to an interested audience of partners, members and high-ranking representatives of German companies, but also an exclusive opportunity to gain valuable insight into one of the most prosperous countries in the EMA region with the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Qatar, Mrs. Angelika Renate Storz-Chakarji.
The Ambassador reported on the economic opportunities for German companies in a fast growing country as well as on Qatar’s role in regional cooperation and the sustainable, economic use of resources. In her introduction, the Ambassador pointed out the potential of Qatar, a country that has increased its GDP by 700% in recent years thanks to its large oil and gas reserves. With the highest GDP per capita in the world, the country offers numerous investment opportunities, especially in infrastructure, logistics, construction and sustainable environmental technologies. While the Ambassador gave a positive outlook on the growing investment opportunities in Qatar, she also informed about the national challenges and risks.
Therefore, Ms. Storz-Chakarji welcomed EMA’s initiative to focus on the Emirate and provide EMA’s members and partners with first-hand information on the manifold facets of the country. “Interested entrepreneurs should secure the services of EMA as a competent partner for their projects,” said EMA Secretary General Dr. Abdelmajid Layadi. Speaking from his own experience, a member of the board emphasized that success in the Gulf country can only be achieved with a sufficient network of partners and long-term commitment.
Regarding the role of women in the two Gulf states of Qatar and Oman – where Ms. Storz-Chakarji was previously ambassador – she explained that the gender balance is changing in favor of women, which she sees as a positive change for a more open society. Women make up the majority of students at universities and the percentage of women in the workforce is steadily increasing. To be precise, the percentage of women in the gas and oil industry is 41%.
After a lively discussion with the audience, Sales Director Dr. Ing. Andreas Grambow of RITZ Instrument Transformer GmbH, a successful company in Germany and the EMA region, had the floor. RITZ, which sells a wide range of transformers and instrument transformers, can be considered a best-practice example for potential German investors in the region.
In conclusion, the informative speech of the Ambassador and the interesting example of RITZ GmbH with a selected audience in the exquisite Diplomatic Club at the Außenalster and the new annual program and numerous upcoming activities was a perfect start of the year 2014.