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Ambassador (NZ)
A Message from the New Zealand Ambassador
Kia Ora, Greetings and Marhaba.
It is a pleasure to contribute to the sixth edition of the ANZBIQ Handbook. Over the past five years the handbook has become an essential resource for those wanting to do business with New Zealand and Australian businesses based in Qatar and operating in the wider Gulf region.
At the same time ANZBIQ has evolved into a dynamic business organisation, facilitating business links and supporting a broad and diverse membership from across the Australasian business community in Qatar.
ANZBIQ’s role is more important than ever. The international market-place today is significantly different than in the past and presents us with new challenges. Businesses have to operate in a more complex, competitive and uncertain global environment. International competition is more aggressive than ever. Qatar and the Gulf States have drawn important lessons from the global financial crisis and are well-positioned to take advantage of the emerging upturn in the global economy.
Qatar can boast one of the most dynamic and resilient economies in the Middle East. Due to a surge in gas imports two way merchandise trade has grown rapidly amounting to over NZ$1.5 billion in the year ended December 2008, ranking Qatar that year as New Zealand’s most important trading partner in the Middle East and Africa region and 13th worldwide. Although reliable data on two way trade in services is hard to obtain, anecdotal evidence suggests this trade too has grown exponentially. The trading relationship is expected to receive a significant boost through the successful completion of bilateral FTA negotiations with the Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the coming year.
I commend ANZBIQ once again for the valuable work being undertaken to grow the New Zealand and Australian business relationship with Qatar and the Gulf region, and I wish the group every continuing success.
Dr Trevor Matheson
New Zealand Ambassador
Riyadh
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