President Ali explores collaboration in energy, aviation with Qatar

…as high-level delegation visits Guyana

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday met with Minister of Energy Affairs of the State of Qatar and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qatar Energy, Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi.

Al-Kaabi is leading a high-level delegation that is visiting the country to explore various opportunities here.
In a brief statement released by the Office of the President, it was noted that discussions between the two countries centred on potential collaboration in the areas of energy, food, infrastructure and aviation.
At those talks, Guyana was also represented by Foreign Affairs and International Corporation Minister Hugh Todd, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, Minister with the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar and Director of Projects at the Office of the President Marcia-Nadir Sharma.
In April of this year, President Ali and his team had met with a delegation from the Qatari Investment Mission to advance discussions on investment opportunities in the country.
The Qatari Investment Mission representatives were Group Chairman of Power International Holding, Moutaz Al Khayyat; Group Chief Venture Officer of Power International Holding, Ali Kazma and the company’s Chief Business Development Officer, Mazen Alsbeti.
Also, in November 2021, President Ali had met with senior officials of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) – the sovereign wealth fund of the Middle Eastern State. The visiting team comprised of two QIA Executives, Abdulhadi F A Al-Hajri and Dany Farah Nakhoul. Their visit was a follow-up to talks started by President Ali and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
During that meeting, the Guyanese Head of State had highlighted Government’s desire to make Guyana the hub for agriculture and food security within the Region and further afield. He also pointed to the numerous opportunities in other sectors that would promote the overall growth and development of Guyana.
The State of Qatar is among several Middle Eastern nations that expressed serious interest in investing in various sectors in Guyana during President Ali’s visit in 2021 for the Dubai World Expo.
Meanwhile, as the relationship between the two countries grow, Guyana in September of this year officially welcomed the country’s first tourists from Qatar.
In a statement from the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, it was noted that while Qataris have visited Guyana for official Government engagements and religious purposes, Dr Nasser Saqr Al-Mohannadi and his wife Galyiah Al-Mohannadi are the first to travel as tourists.
“Dr Nasser Saqr Al-Mohannadi was Qatar’s first Ironman and is a professor at the Department of Petroleum Engineering in Qatar. While in Guyana, the couple will visit several tourism hotspots, including Kaieteur,” the statement had noted.
Subject Minister Oneidge Walrond had also expressed hope that the couple’s visit will encourage more citizens of Qatar to visit Guyana.