The volume of trade between Qatar and Indonesia rose by 11.5 percent per year from 2015 to 2019, reaching nearly $1 billion in 2020, despite the effect of COVID-19 on global markets, according to Mr. Ridwan Hassan, Indonesian ambassador to the State of Qatar.
Mr. Hassan has stated that Indonesia and Qatar have an “excellent bilateral relationship,” adding that the two countries “are willing to continue reinforcing and improving relations from time to time, particularly in the economic field.”
The top diplomat has emphasized that the recent high-level visits of Indonesia’s high-ranking officials to Doha, including Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, “speaks volumes about the commitment.”
Ridwan Hassan Indonesian Ambassador Qatar
“In 2020, the realization of Qatar’s direct investment in Indonesia was worth $6.2 million (around 86.7 billion Indonesian rupiah), the number that we believe still below the potential, and should be increased in the future. We believe that there is an enormous potential in the bilateral relationship, which has yet to be realized, and therefore, in the future, we expect and encourage more interaction between government officials and business communities, as well as peoples from both countries to tap the potential.”
Mr. Hassan, speaking about the country’s preparations to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, has said the Southeast Asian country “is ready to make this event successful” through its community in Qatar.
“We have around 17,000 Indonesians in Qatar, and they are a very active, engaging, and dynamic community. For many times, our community groups in Qatar have been invited to participate or just to show-up their performance in several sports events in Qatar,” he included.
Earlier, the ambassador has arranged a meeting between Mr. Sapta Oktohari, the president of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Indonesia, and Qatar-Indonesia Business Council (QIBC) president Mr. Farhan al-Sayed, who is also president of the International Walking Football Federation, Asia, and Qatar.
During the meeting, Mr. Oktohari has remarked that many Indonesian companies specializing in the sports industry are looking to participate in major projects related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
