Australian ambassador to Qatar Jonathan Muir said that the Qatari-Australia relationship is growing deeply year by year, noting that Qatar became Australia’s second-largest two-way trading partner in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region and that Australia ranked as Qatar’s twelfth largest trading partner overall.
The ambassador noted that five direct flights a day between Qatar and Australia are playing a part in this growth, adding that increasing pace and volume of the ties between the two countries are also growing with many collaborative projects underway, building stronger people-to-people links at the same time. In statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of Qatar National Day, the ambassador said that travel and trade between the two countries continue to increase rapidly, noting that nearly 40,000 Australians visited Qatar over the past year, and over 3,000 Australians live in Doha.
The ambassador also highlighted the visit of HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi to Australia in November, and the visits paid by ranking Australian officials to Qatar, such as the visits of the Australian parliamentary and trade delegations, as well as defense officials and the Australian Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, all of which have contributed to building a stronger relationship.
The Australian ambassador congratulated His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and the Government of Qatar for the country’s many political, social and economic achievements over the past year, wishing the Qatari people a prosperous and successful year to come.
The envoy expressed his great admiration for Qatar’s resilience and determination, saying that there are few countries globally that exemplify these national characteristics as much as Qatar does.
Gulf Times
13/12/2019
